A CBS reporter who last year rode the Titan submersible that vanished off the coast of Canada this week with five people inside told USA TODAY parts of the vessel seemed "less sophisticated" and described the safety features meant to avoid a crisis like the one it's currently facing.
"I was anticipating a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I got it," CBS correspondent David Pogue told USA TODAY's "5 Things" podcast.
Pogue boarded submersible for a CBS report that aired in November alongside OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, who is among the five missing passengers on the voyage to tour the wreckage of the Titanic.
Pogue's account has drawn attention not just because it's a rare first-hand look at the experience of being in a submersible, but because of the snags it hit along the way. Pogue told USA TODAY on Tuesday afternoon that the Titan got "lost" for a few hours and couldn't find the wreckage of the Titanic during one of the dives on that trip, but unlike the current situation, it never lost all communication with crews on the surface.
His report also highlighted some of the "jerry-rigged" parts helping the vessel operate.
"There were parts of it that seemed to me to be less sophisticated than I was guessing. You drive it with a PlayStation video controller... some of the ballasts are old, rusty construction pipes," Pogue told USA TODAY. "There were certain things that looked like cut corners."
In a tweet of the report, Pogue linked to video of himself describing the submarine as having as much room as a minivan. Pogue said the vessel was the only five-person sub that could reach Titanic depths.
Rush, CEO of the company that owns the submersible, argued against the description of the Titan as being "MacGyvery" in the CBS report.
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