A massive effort is underway to find the missing Titan submarine – with five people on board, including two Pakistanis – missing since Sunday and with limited oxygen.
Experts believe that it may take less than a day for the submarine to run out of oxygen.
The U.S. Coast Guard said remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) were deployed underwater where the Canadian aircraft recorded soundings using sonar buoys on Tuesday and Wednesday but so far had found no sign of the Titan. .
Coast Guard Capt. Jamie Frederick said at a press conference that analysis of the noise had been “inconclusive.”
“When you’re in the middle of a search and rescue, you always have hope,” he said. “Especially with regards to the noises, we don’t know what they are.” Authorities did not provide a description of the sounds.
In a much-anticipated boost to the search, the French research vessel Atalante was on its way late Wednesday to deploy a robotic diving craft capable of going deeper than the Titanic wreck, the Coast Guard said.
The French submarine robot, named Victor 6,000, was sent at the request of the U.S. Navy, which was deploying its specialized salvage system for lifting large, heavy objects such as sunken aircraft or small ships from deep in the ocean. was designed for
The wreck of the Titanic, a British ocean liner that struck an iceberg during its maiden voyage in 1912 and sank, killing more than 1,500 people, lies at a depth of about 12,500 feet (3,810 m). is lying It is about 900 miles (1,450 km) east of Cape Cod, Massachusetts and 400 miles south of St. John’s, Newfoundland.
Those aboard the submarine, a tourist adventure highlight that costs $250,000 per person, include British billionaire and adventurer Hamish Harding, 58, and Pakistani-born businessman Prince Dawood, 48, along with his 19-year-old son Sulaiman. were, which are both. British citizens.
French oceanographer and leading Titanic expert Paul-Henri Norgeulet, 77, and Stockton Rush, founder and chief executive of Oceangate, were also on board.
The 22-foot (6.7 m) submarine Titan, operated by US-based OceanGate Expeditions, began its descent at 8 a.m. (1200 GMT) on Sunday. It lost contact with its surface support ship during what should have been a two-hour dive for the Titanic.
Titan left with 96 hours of air, which would mean it would run out of oxygen by Thursday morning, according to the company. But experts say the supply of air depends on several factors, including whether the submarine still has power and how calm the people on board are.
‘Life support available’
Sean Lett, who heads a company that jointly owns the support vessel Polar Prince, told reporters on Wednesday that “all protocols were followed” but declined to elaborate. How did communication stop?
“Life support is available on the submarine, and we will hold on to hope until the end,” Leet, CEO of Miaupkek Horizon Maritime Services, told reporters in St. John’s, Newfoundland.
A friend of Harding’s, Janek Mickelson, who has accompanied the British businessman on other expeditions, told JEE News she was hoping for good news but not hopeful. He said it would be a miracle if they were recovered alive.
Even if Titan did exist, retrieving it would present enormous logistical challenges.
Experts said that even if the submarine had managed to return to the surface, it would have been difficult to find it in open water. It is bolted from the outside, preventing anyone from inside from getting out unaided.
If Titan is at the bottom of the ocean, a rescue effort would be even more difficult due to the great pressure and total darkness at depths greater than 2 miles. Titanic expert Tim Malton said it would be “almost impossible to effect a sub-rescue” on the seabed.
A French submarine on its way could be used to help free the Titan if it gets stuck on the ocean floor, although the robot cannot lift the 21,000-pound (9,525-kg) craft by itself. The robot can also help connect the sub to a surface vessel capable of lifting it, the operator said.
Questions about the Titan’s safety were raised during a 2018 symposium of submarine industry experts and in a lawsuit filed by OceanGate’s former head of marine operations, David Lochridge, who claimed he had concerns about it. was fired after expressing that the plow could not withstand the extreme depth.
In its own lawsuit against Lockridge, Oceangate said it refused to accept assurances from the company’s lead engineer and accused Lockridge of divulging confidential information.
The two sides settled the matter in November 2018, and neither side has commented on the dispute.
