Titanic sub: Matlock man feared safety of 2001 trip

Peter Bailey, 59, won a newspaper competition to visit the Titanic wreckage in 2001

A man who won a trip to see the Titanic wreck in 2001 said the dangers of the adventure nearly put him off going.

Peter Bailey, from Matlock, Derbyshire, said he vividly remembers his journey in a submersible under the mid-Atlantic.

Tributes have been pouring in for five men killed on board the Titan sub in what US officials have called a "catastrophic implosion".

Debris was found on Thursday ending a multinational five-day search.

The US Coast Guard said debris found suggested the Titan sub had suffered a "catastrophic implosion"

Mr Bailey, 59, visited the remains of the Titanic after winning a competition in a newspaper.

"At first it was scary because reality sets in that you're actually going down two and half miles under the ocean," he said.

Despite his fears, he decided it would be "a great adventure" and agreed to go.

"The saying was 'it was a chance in a million' because at that period of time I was told more people had been to the Moon than had been down to see the Titanic," he said.

However he said the dangers of the trip had been "drilled into us from day one".

It was made clear that even something like a hairline fracture that allowed water to seep in would result in instant death for all on board.

"You tried not to think about that, you tried think about the positives," he said.

Mr Bailey said the trip would live with him for the rest of his life

Reflecting on the trip he said he was glad he took the risk .

"It was something I'll never forget. It will live with me for the rest of my life," he said.

Mr Bailey said he closely followed the news coverage of the sub while it was missing in the hope that it would be found with everyone safe on board.