US billionaire plans dive to the Titanic in a newly designed submersible

A photo provided by Connor Group shows Larry Connor, left, with Patrick Lahey during a 2021 trip to Mariana Trench in the Western Pacific Ocean, where they went on a series of deep dives. Larry Connor, 74, who made his wealth in real estate, said he’s building a new acrylic-hulled submersible that will be certified and rigorously tested to show that deep sea exploration is safe. — Connor Group via The New York Times

A real estate billionaire in Ohio is planning an underwater voyage to the site of the Titanic shipwreck, where a submersible imploded on its approach to the sea floor a year ago, killing all five passengers on board.

Shortly after the OceanGate disaster, Larry Connor, 74, a real estate investor and amateur adventurer, contacted the co-founder of Triton Submarines, Patrick Lahey, imploring him to build a submarine that could reach the depths of the Titanic safely and repeatedly, according to The Wall Street Journal.