Media: bathyscaphe “Titan” and US nuclear submarines are controlled by the same joysticks

The nuclear submarines of the US Navy use the same game joystick in control as the sunken bathyscaphe “Titan”. This is reported by the American edition Newsweek.

“It seemed to me that the ship had a lot of equipment from improvised materials made on the knee”– told the publication CBS News correspondent David Pogue, who was invited by OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush in 2022 to travel on a bathyscaphe.

The journalist was amazed that the bathyscaphe was controlled by the Logitech F710 game joystick, which works via Bluetooth technology.

The material mentions that such joysticks have been used since 2018 by the United States Navy on some submarines. So, captain second rank Reed Koepp emphasized that controllers are cheaper and it is easier for young sailors to get used to them using their own experience in video games.

The control panel, created by Lockheed Martin, cost approximately $38,000. The holding, together with representatives of the US Navy, adapted gamepads for this purpose, which can cost less than $30, depending on the place of purchase.

This was confirmed by the former commander of the Indiana nuclear submarine Scott Bresnahan, who said that the US Navy used the Xbox 360 game controllers for two reasons. First of all, these joysticks are familiar and therefore easy to use for young sailors. The second reason is that these controllers are very cheap – $60 each.

The loss of the submersible “Titan” of the company OceanGate Expeditions, which organized tours to the “Titanic”, became known on June 19. There were five people in it. Two aircraft and two warships were involved in the search.

It is reported that on board the Titan were British billionaire Hamish Harding, one of the richest people in Pakistan, billionaire Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleiman, owner of OceanGate Stockton Rush, and an experienced submarine explorer, Frenchman Paul-Henri Nargolet.

Later, the wreckage of the bathyscaphe was discovered. According to preliminary data, the device was destroyed by a powerful explosion at a depth of 3.8 kilometers. The US Coast Guard confirmed the deaths of those on the Titan. Apparently, the expedition members died instantly.

It is not yet clear whether the remains of the crew members can be found. The tragedy occurred at a great depth, so the search may be fruitless.