Search and rescue teams continue to look
for that missing tourist submere
and are racing against the cloc.
The vessel had five people on board when it
went missing Sunday South of Newfoundland,
where it was on a tour to see
the wreckage of the Titanic.
The submersible was equipped
with 96 hours of life support.
It's been missing since Sunday,
which sets up tomorrow morning
as a key deadline for finding
the vessel and those on board,
with the world captivated
by this race against time.
I'm joined now by a man who made
that voyage himself back in 200.
Brian Day O'Connor,
the son of former Associate Jus,
the Supreme Court.
Sandra Day O'Connor,
good to see you. Good to be back with you, Mark.
Appreciate your coming on.
We've had you on before for
some of your climbing exploits,
but tonight, unfortunately,
you're here to talk about going
down in a small four or five pen
submersible to visit the Titani.
What was your first thought
when you heard that this
submersible had gone missing?
Concern. Like everyone I've
been devouring the information
and getting the latest update.
Like like everyone else my biggt
concern was right out of the ga,
the loss of communication durine
descent when they were barely halfway
through the descent and and they have
had that happen before this particular
company and and the protocol wao
immediately ascend back up and t
did not happen here and so that.
Very concerning right out of the gate for me.
All right. So let's be
a little more specific.
And and no one is lacking compan
here when we talk about this.
But knowing what you know about these trips,
what do you think happened and
what do you think will happen?
Well, I'm hoping for the best tt
you were hearing that there's se
pinging noises that are being picked up
but that could be a variety of things
and and the the Navy Coast Guar,
is readily saying we're not
sure what that could be.
I'm concerned that, you know,
people aren't talking about it,
cuz it's the last thing we wanto
know that might have happened is
there could have been a catastrc
implosion on the way down
because of the pressure on the .
If something fails, something
at all, drugs, or fail,
and they've had foggy conditions out there,
nobody would know.
You'd have a release of air.
Some bubbles come up,
not a big noise, it's foggy.
The mothership wouldn't notice.
And and that would explain
the loss of communication and
why they didn't reservice.
I hope that's not the case
but it's a possibility.
There's been a lot of talk about this
particular submersible and the t
that it it felt a little Jerry rigged.
When I think a 60 Minutes crew n
I'm on board they used a video e
controller as one of the Jerry
rigged parts to control this th.
How safe did you feel when you
were aboard your submersible?
So I was on the mere one and mere 2 Subs.
Those are the same Subs.
They were built in the 80s by
Finnish company in cooperation
for the Soviets Exploration,
Navy operations. And these,
these were these ships used by James Cameron.
The same exact fact I had the same pilot
that was in the movie with DiCao
as our pilot and one feature we.
Is that sometimes the backup sy?
Simple as best no electronics.
So if everything depowered for ,
everything went bad.
I literally there was a brake
lever in the middle,
like a brake lever we could pull
mechanically out of my own powed
it released a basket of weights on the
outside of the the sub and we wd
immediately jump up like a cork, Like a cork.
And I'm not sure that this.
I understand that they have
a ballast release system,
but if it had to be done off
of power and they lost power,
then it might not work.
I don't,
I honestly don't know the details on that.
The other thing we've learned is that
the waiver that you sign, at let
with this currently lost submersible,
the folks on board there had to sign,
Basically, you're signing your life away.
Did you have to sign a waiver like that?
Oh, I'm sure I did.
And a lot of these activities,
Yeah, the lawyers make sure of t
for all of these things anymore.
Yeah. There we. You shot some
video inside your submersible.
Let's take a look at that and
see what it's like inside.
There's the other mirror looking
at the bow of the Titanic.
Kill this. Kill this.
What practice can you please?
There we are about the Titanic,
the other submarine.
So that was Russian you heard?
And he was speaking in Russian o
the pilot of the other mirror.
And we were ours were three man Subs.
What's what's What we're all searching
for right now is a five man sub.
So we were two passengers in a t
versus 4IN the pilot in in today's craft.
I've always wondered this about
people that do what you do.
I mean you you put yourself
at risk to the extreme,
whether it's climbing mountains
or going down to see the Titani.
How do you, how do you reconcile
that desire to push the envelope
and see the Titanic knowing that
there's very little separating
you from instant death?
With the fact that you have
a life to come back to sure.
And a family I love, I I just le
to it's big world out there andd
you know I just have always hada
zest for some adventure but youw
it's calculated risk and I'm no.
Trying to put myself in harm's y
as the thrill in and by itself,
but but the vastness of the Atlantic when
you're 2 miles down or over 2 miles down,
and again, there's very little
separating you from instant dea.
Do you think about your own mortality?
No. I'm thinking about where we.
And it's a very, you know,
it's a special place.
I mean, it's it's sort of a sac.
Very old ground of sorts so
we're very respectful being
down there right because of
graveyard for many many what
what it means and and and it was as if
we were having those same views of the
the Titanic movie so many of usl
watched and and it's it's so int
regard it was thrilling so it wa
great adventure and and I hope I hope.
We have a good outcome right no,
but time is upon us.
Why no rescue beacon or some sort of a
locator or tracking device on these things?
Did you have one on your sub?
We had communication with
the mothership, but aside
from that, I mean, let's say
communication got lost and we kw
that coms were lost on this thi.
I cannot. Tell you for certain
I actually don't don't recall.
But what we what we did have ths
that simple system to release ballast
and that to me was was you know I do a
lot of skydiving that was my emergency
parachute to to get back to the surface.
Yeah. How's your mom doing So se
just turned 93 in March and shes
here in town and she's going tor
a little music next week with se
friends playing it at at her place and.
God bless her.
She's still hanging in there.
It's not easy getting older,
but it's always great to be here with her.
Have you, in your times with he,
had a chance to discuss the great division
that's happening in this country right now,
not only with the current administration
and the past administration ande
war between the two political parties?
I'm wondering what she thinks about that.
So she's not completely dialed into current
events as as we probably are right now
and frankly I'm thankful for that because
I can assure you she would not be pleased
with our state of affairs in Washington
whether at the court or in Cong.
And and I can, I can tell you she she
always walked the middle aisle k
right and and both parties are guilty.
You know, we need to get
back to the middle aisle.
The the, the, the,
the right needs to come to the middle.
The left needs and we will get things done.
And that is what she would say.
And that's what she did in the state Senate.
That's what she did on the cour.
And it makes perfect sense to m.
Brian, thank you for coming in.
Please give your best to your m,
Our best to your mom. Absolutel.
Well, always good seeing you.
And thank you for your insight. You bet.