‘The Simpsons’ Writer and Previous Titan Passenger Noted Sub’s Communication Problems

OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush emerges from the hatch atop the OceanGate submarine Cyclops 1 in the San Juan Islands, Wash., on Sept. 12, 2018. Alan Berner/The Seattle Times via AP

A former “The Simpsons” writer who took part in four trips on OceanGate’s Titan Sub has cast light on the ongoing communication problems experienced during deep sea dives.

Mike Reiss, a previous showrunner for the satirical series, completed four dives on the submersible and said during each of the expeditions, contact was lost with the host ship.

“Every time they lost communication. That seems to be just something baked into the system,” Reiss said in an interview with ABC News.“I don’t blame OceanGate, but I think I blame deep water for that.”

Reiss also said he knew the risks associated with such deep-sea explorations.

“There is a long release you sign, a waiver, that mentions death three times on the first page,” he said.

According to a report by WCCO News out of Minneapolis, Reiss and his wife Denise were friends of the Titan’s pilot Stockton Rush.

In all, Reiss completed three dives off the coast of New York, and one to the Titanic wreckage off the coast of southeast Canada. During that expedition to the historic ocean liner, Reiss noted the “communication problems” after the crew landed 500 yards from the sunken wreckage.

“We knew it was there, but our compass was acting up, and we didn’t know in what direction it was,” said Reiss. After three hours, they managed to finally find the wreckage, he added.

It was off the coast of southeast Canada that rescue crews were searching for the five-person Titan submersible that went missing Sunday morning.

A submersible vessel named Titan used to visit the wreckage site of the Titanic. OceanGate Expeditions via AP

USCG Confirms Navy Detected Sub’s Implosion Soon After It Disappeared

In a surprising revelation, the United States Coast Guard confirmed Thursday that the U.S. Navy first detected the implosion soon after the Titan went missing on Sunday. That was days before the information was disclosed to the public on Thursday after a massive search operation that captured global attention, according to a U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) official.

Additional search equipment was hurriedly brought to the scene while authorities reported hearing underwater “banging sounds” that could be signals from the missing crew.

The Navy promptly provided this information to aid the search and rescue efforts, although its significance could not be definitively determined. The Wall Street Journal first reported the news citing unnamed sources.

The five men aboard the Titan, who were attempting to explore the Titanic wreckage in the Atlantic Ocean, are believed to have tragically perished due to a suspected “catastrophic implosion,” according to USCG officials.

For his part, Reiss discussed the psychological effects of operating a deep-sea submersible. In spite of the possible dangers, he spoke of a sense of calm and serenity.

“There’s something just zen and otherworldly about being on this sub. And being that far down, that everybody loves to mention that I fell asleep on the sub, even though I knew death could come in any minute,” he said.

“There’s no furniture, so you’re just kind of propped up leaning against the wall with your legs sticking out,” he added, describing the environment inside the submersible.