- Race Against Time to Locate Missing Submersible
- Crew and Family Express Concern and Prayers
- Difficulties in Search and Rescue Operation
Five people, including British billionaire Hamish Harding, boarded the vessel on Sunday morning to dive the Titanic wreck. The submersible had 96 hours of oxygen for “life support” in an emergency.
Rescuers scramble to find the missing submarine that lost contact near the Titanic crash as its oxygen supply runs out.
The submersible Titan vanished on Sunday in the Atlantic Ocean with five people, including British billionaire Hamish Harding.
According to the vessel’s operator, OceanGate Expeditions, the Titan has a 96-hour oxygen supply for emergencies. Indicating that only about two days of “life support” are left.
A significant search and rescue operation is underway 900 miles east of Cape Cod, commanded by the United States Coast Guard and involving military aircraft.
It called the search “challenging” due to the remote area 435 miles south of Newfoundland, Canada.
Rear Admiral John W. Mauger stated, “We dispatched a C-130 aircraft to conduct a visual and radar aerial survey of the scene.
“We have since coordinated with the Canadian Coast Guard and Canadian Armed Forces to deploy additional resources to the site.
The Canadians have used sonar buoys and C-130 and P-8 undersea search aircraft to eavesdrop.
The Titan lost contact with the research vessel Polar Prince approximately one hour and forty-five minutes into Sunday morning’s dive.
Alongside Mr. Harding are French submersible pilot Paul-Henry Nargeolet and OceanGate Expeditions’ chief executive and originator, Stockton Rush.
Shahzada Dawood, a Pakistani industrialist, and his son, Suleman, are also on board.
Mr. Harding stated in an Instagram post before the expedition that “a weather window has just opened and we will attempt a dive tomorrow.”
Moreover, he was pleased to disclose that he had joined the expedition as a “mission specialist.”
In a statement, Mr. Dawood’s family said, “We would like to thank our colleagues and friends for their concern and ask that everyone pray for their safety.”
He is the vice chairman of one of Pakistan’s greatest conglomerates, Engro Corporation.
The company has implored people to refrain from speculating about the fate of the missing submarine.
In a tweet, the organization requested “prayers for the safety and privacy” of Mr. Dawood’s family.
It stated that there is “limited information” and asked that “speculation and conjecture be avoided.”
‘Major problem’ confronting rescuers
OceanGate stated in a statement that it was “exploring and mobilizing all options” to bring the crew back securely.
According to OceanGate, the Titan submersible is capable of descending to a depth of 13,120 feet “with a comfortable safety margin” and would require two hours to descend to a depth of 12,500 feet, where the Titanic wreck is located.
The vessel operates by pinging a message to shore every 15 minutes to indicate its safety.
The British Ministry of Defence stated that it is “continuing to monitor” the situation surrounding the missing submersible and will assist with the response “as necessary.”
Yesterday, the Department of Defence said it had not been asked to help with the search and rescue.
The department has also indicated that the NATO submarine rescue system (NSRS) may not be able to reach the Titan vessel because “the depths of water involved greatly exceed” its safe operating depths.
Mike Welham, an expert in marine operations, described the difficulties of the search operation and added that “highly specialized underwater vehicles” would be required to reach the depths of the Titanic ruin.
According to him, the profundity of the water at the Titanic site is their greatest obstacle.
“It is approximately 3,800 meters deep, which necessitates the use of specialized underwater vehicles that are not readily available. Consequently, if they must seek for and recover this vehicle, they will face a significant obstacle.”
Robert Blasiak, an ocean researcher at the Stockholm Resilience Centre, stated, “The ideal scenario right now is that the submersible has reached the surface and is simply meandering at sea level, where it will be discovered within the next few hours by one of the passing aircraft. That’s our expectation.
“The coast guard is also preparing for a more difficult scenario using sonic beacons so they can use sonar to detect sound in the water column if the submersible is submerged. That is a completely different issue.
“We have to hope that (the submersible) has already reached the surface.”
After expeditions in 2021 and 2022, the submersible was participating in OceanGate’s third annual voyage to monitor the deterioration of the shipwreck.
Source of interest
On 15 April 1912, during its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York, the Titanic struck an iceberg and plummeted into the Atlantic Ocean, killing approximately 1,500 people.
The shipwreck, which was discovered 37 years ago, is approximately 400 nautical miles from Newfoundland, Canada.
It has always been a source of fascination.
A spot on OceanGate Expeditions’ eight-day expedition costs $250,000. (£195,270).
Last month, the first-ever full-scale digital replica of the Titanic was created, with experts stating that it could be used to uncover secrets of the most famous disaster in history.
