YouTuber Jake Koehler shared footage of his aborted ‘Titan’ expedition before the sub’s implosion.Photo:DallyMYD/Youtube
DallyMYD/Youtube
YouTuber Jake Koehler, best known as DALLMYD, shared footage of his canceledTitanexpedition with OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush andTitanicexpertPaul-Henri Nargeoletbefore theydied on the missing submersibleThursday.
“In thisvideoI’m sharing my personal experience with OceanGate Expeditions just days before the tragedy,” Koehler wrote in the video’s description.
“Not that it matters, but I did not pay for a spot on the ship. I was there to record our experience for my channel,” he continued. “My deepest condolences go out to the families of the passengers aboard who lost their lives on theTitansubmersible.”
“With the whole world watching the rescue efforts of the missing submarine around theTitanic, I thought I’d share my experience of Mission III just a few weeks ago,” Koehler said in the opening of the video, which he posted on Friday.
“And if my dive wasn’t canceled, it could have been me inside that submarine today,” he added.
Koehler also shared a photo that shows him weighing himself beside Rush.
He then explained in a voiceover: “What you’re about to watch is footage from Mission III days before the submersible went missing on Mission V taking place on the exact same ship and I was also in the exact same submersible that is missing today.”
“Please keep in mind there’s a lot of smiles and a lot of laughs. We honestly had no idea what would happen in the days to come,” he noted.
Koehler shared clips of him and his girlfriend arriving at their hotel and preparing for their expedition, which included a reef memorial dedicated to the people who lost their lives on theTitanicin 1912.
Approaching the vessel that would take him to theTitan, Koehler narrated, “We’re about to board this ship on our nine-day excursion to theTitanic, where we’re going to be taking a submarine to the bottom of the ocean.”
As he took his viewers on a tour of his sleeping quarters, he shared, “Right across from my room was a man named PH [Paul-Henri Nargeolet.] He was one of the people inside the submersible and sadly as I’m recording this video, I have just learned that [the passengers] have passed away.”
Paul-Henri Nargeolet was among the five passengers who died when the ‘Titan’ imploded.JOEL SAGET/AFP via Getty Images
JOEL SAGET/AFP via Getty Images
Referring to a photo of theTitanicfrom an aerial point of view, Koehler said, “I decided to ask PH if I can have that file so I can print it out for my home, I thought it’d be really neat and on top of that, I asked if I could have a signature.”
“This is a signature and I believe it could be his very last signature that he ever did,” he said of the piece of paper with Nargeolet’s handwriting. “I didn’t know PH for a long time, but he was a great friend to me for the time that I knew him and I really appreciate that I’ll cherish this signature and also one of your photos that I’ll hang in my house for my life.”
Later in the video, Koehler contextualized his footage after the events of the missingTitansubmersible transpired.
“Like I mentioned, there’s gonna be a lot of laughs, a lot of smiles, a lot of jokes. Please keep in mind we’re all just trying to have a good time and I had no idea what the future had in store for everyone,” he said. “Trying my very best to give you the most authentic video that I had originally planned, but still removing a few things that’s not appropriate.”
He added: “These people were great people and they treated me very nicely, and I just want to make sure everyone knows I’m being respectful. I just want to show you what happened behind the scenes but also, I’m gonna show you some clips throughout the video that get a little heavier.”
An OceanGate submersible.Ocean Gate / Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Ocean Gate / Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Koehler included images and video footage of himself, Rush and Nargeolet signing a flag that OceanGate brings for every mission.
According to Koehler, the passengers aboard the vessel ultimately were unable to do their planned dive due to rough weather and a ghost net that wrapped around the submarine and broke some of its parts. Rush also shared that the motor controllers inside theTitanwere “not consistently communicating,” which he said “could be a wiring problem.”
“Your guess is as best as mine. I’m not too sure exactly if this is the main reason why the tragic incident happened and everyone lost their lives. It could have been anything,” Koehler noted.
“Long story short, every day they did have some problems and we tried to fix every little thing to make sure everything was perfect for our opportunity to dive on theTitanic.” he continued. “It seems weird now, but at the time it just seemed like an everyday thing in my opinion.
However, the content creator was able to submerge under the waters during a controlled test dive, which he captured footage of.
OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush.HANDOUT/OceanGate Expeditions/AFP via Getty Images
HANDOUT/OceanGate Expeditions/AFP via Getty Images
“I can tell you right now, I feel like I dodged the bullet. But I also feel very bad for the families who lost loved ones,” he continued.
“If you’re chasing big dreams and pushing your limits, obviously dangerous things can happen and you know can be fatal. In this scenario, five people lost their lives in this exact same submersible that I was going to go down in theTitanicin. I think this is a big reminder not only to myself, but everyone that life is very precious,” he added.
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Koehler reiterated, “If the weather permitted, and it was beautiful out and Stockton and asked me if I wanted a spot in a submarine, I would have said yes, and it could have been me. So I’m very thankful that I’m here today.”
“But at the end of the day, I just want to say I had an unbelievable experience for Mission III, I met some incredible people,” he continued. “I’m taking home memories that I would hold dear to my heart for the rest of my life. These people were very nice to me, and I’m very grateful.”
source: people.com
