The Facts
On Monday, the US Coast Guard embarked on a search and rescue operation following the disappearance of a submarine carrying tourists to the wreckage of the Titanic. On Sunday, the Coast Guard was notified that the mother ship, the Polar Prince, had lost contact with the vessel and required assistance.
The tour, provided by Oceangate Expeditions, is thought to be the only such tour on the market and takes passengers to the famous wreckage. Tickets for the expedition can cost up to $250K.
The Spin
Narrative A
Deep-sea currents and the marine environment are destroying the remains of the RMS Titanic. Researchers and preservationists must use the little time remaining to document and recover items from the ship before they can no longer be explored. Oceangate Expeditions is making this historic moment all possible by providing an opportunity for people to have a once-in-a-lifetime experience at a fraction of the cost of going into space. Many believe these efforts will allow the world a greater understanding of the accident and how it transpired.
Narrative B
For decades the Titanic has been used as a boon for profit. Even as James Cameron, famed explorer and movie maker, begged others to leave the ship alone, he himself reaped $2B from his overly fantasized version of the tragic story. We have forgotten that the very site that tourists are clamoring to get to and that profiteers are selling merchandise from is a graveyard for more than 1500 people. Disruptive profiteering actions are robbing the Titanic's souls of their opportunity to rest in peace.