A Metro Detroit man gave Local 4 some insight into what it was like to be inside a submersible similar to the one that went missing during the Titanic expedition.
The fate of the Titanic has fascinated the world since 1912.
Then James Cameron came along and made a blockbuster compete with underwater footage captured from a Russian Mir submersible.
Mike Fish took that same voyage on that same Mir in 2000.
“It is six feet in diameter, and it’s a round globe that you’re in,” said Fish
Fish, who is a lawyer by day, is no stranger to adventure; he’s a mountain climbing enthusiast and loves to jump out of planes. All that said, the Titanic expedition was at a different level.
“When they closed it and cranked it for the last time, that’s when I went, ‘OK, we’re doing this,’” Fish said.
What he saw going down all 12,000 feet was what those on board OceanGate’s Titan saw, which was complete darkness unless the exterior lights would turn on.
“You’re falling, so it looks like they’re going up, and we saw some extremely unbelievable creatures that I’d never heard about before.”
Officials say the Titan was lost before it ever reached the bottom.
The trip takes about 2.5 hours; when you do reach that depth and see the wall of that ship, it inspires two things, according to Fish: awe and reverence.
“Once we hit the railing, we came around to the bow section, which is the iconic view of the Titanic view, always,” Fish said. “It was unbelievably moving, understanding that at least I recognized it as a burial site. Some people don’t, but I recognized it as a burial site, and I was very cognizant of that. Some parts of the Titanic are beautiful and in great condition. The windows are not broken. Some are in terrible condition.”
After watching everything that had unfolded, Fish said it didn’t give him second thoughts that the Titanic expedition was an absolute trip of a lifetime.