Titanic expedition leader G. Michael Harris told Newsmax on Thursday he and others in the deep-sea diving community were not "comfortable" with the experimental submarine that went missing this week.
The U.S. Coast Guard announced Thursday afternoon that a "debris field" near the wreckage of the Titanic has been identified as the remains of the missing submarine, and the five passengers that had been on board are presumed dead.
Harris told "John Bachman Now," in an interview that took place before the Coast Guard's announcement, that he has known Paul-Henri Nargeolet, a French oceanographer whose led multiple expeditions to the Titanic, since 1987. He described Nargeolet as an "absolute seasoned veteran when it comes to this."
He added, "None of us were comfortable … with this new vehicle that's been out there, and finding debris now is exactly what I mean."
Multiple experts raised concerns about the safety of the submarine, which was a non-conventional design that did not conform to typical standards.
Harris said, "This vessel just had not gone through … the standard procedures." He added that his company had made over 500 dives in 30 years without having "one single incident," saying that "it's because we take all the precautions. We do it right and our vehicles are all tested, and this was an experimental vehicle."
He later said, "We had all feared from day one. I mean, when you lose communication with something, that usually means that it's complete structural failure."
Harris noted that the Titanic wreckage is located in "the main shipping lane from Europe to the United States, so at any given time you have hundreds, if not thousands, of ships out there."
He also cast doubt on reports that banging sounds picked up by sonar could have been made by the passengers onboard the sub, saying, "I guarantee you, they would've tapped out SOS and not just banging."
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Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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