DrThe Canadian and US Coast Guard continued the frantic search for the missing small submarine „Titan” from OceanGate Expeditions, which began Sunday morning to dive to the wreck of „Titanic”. However, there is no trace yet. „Today, search efforts have yielded no results,” a US Coast Guard spokesperson said Tuesday in Boston.
There are five people on board the submarine. The search is a race against time, she said — the submarine had had oxygen for four days when it left. „Based on this initial report, we know there is approximately 40 hours of breathable air,” Jamie Frederick, the US Coast Guard coordinator for the operation, said Tuesday night.
The Boston Coast Guard is leading the search, tweeting that the five-man crew „dive Sunday morning and the Polar Prince crew lost contact with them about 1 hour and 45 minutes after they began diving.” At this point, the submarine was about 900 miles (1,450 km) off the coast of Cape Cod.
The US Coast Guard was notified Sunday afternoon, according to operation coordinator John Mauger. Two C-130s were sent to search the sea surface. The Canadian Coast Guard dispatched an aircraft and ship equipped with sonar buoy technology. An underwater search is now being intensified in the hope of being able to locate the submarine, Mauger told CNN.
„Searching this remote area is challenging, but we are sending everything we have to make sure we can locate the boat and rescue those on board,” Mauger told reporters in Boston, Mass., on Monday. As darkness fell on Monday evening, search flights were suspended while a unit from the US National Guard and Titan operator Oceangate Expeditions continued searches on the water.
Meanwhile, France has sent a special ship featuring a diving robot to the area. The French Minister of State for Sea Affairs, Hervé Bierville, said that the research vessel „Atlante” of the Institute of Naval Research Efremer, which is already on a mission, will arrive at the site on Wednesday evening. The Vector 6000 robot is remotely controlled by the research vessel via an eight-kilometer wire and is described by Ifremer as a „key device for underwater operations,” BFMTV reported. The robot can be used at depths of up to 6,000 metres.
The US Navy is assisting with a deep sea recovery system called Vados. The US Navy describes Vados as a “portable ship lift system that provides reliable deep sea lifting capacity of up to 27 tons for the recovery of large, bulky and heavy sunken objects such as aircraft or small vessels.”
What is known about the missing five?
The submarine is carrying five passengers, including the 58-year-old British billionaire pilot and space tourist Hamish Harding. On Sunday, he shared on his Instagram that he was „proud to finally announce” that he will be joining the Titanic wreck mission. „The weather window has opened and we will try to dive,” he wrote.
Harding is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Dubai-based aircraft company Action Aviation and, according to English media reports, is a trained pilot, diver and parachutist himself.
Mark Butler, CEO of Harding Action Aviation, said the group broke up on Friday. „We all hope and pray that he will return safe and well.” Harding’s son, Brian Zsasz, confirmed his father’s disappearance on social media. The post has since been deleted on Facebook.
Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son were said to be on board the missing submarine from the Titanic, it was announced on Tuesday. “Our son, Shahzadeh Daoud, and his son, Suleiman, had embarked on a journey of discovery Titanic remains British media quoted a family statement as saying.
Shahzada Dawood lives in the UK and is the Vice Chairman of Engro, based in Karachi. He is also involved in his family’s foundation, which was founded in 1960 and is dedicated to education. high „daily MailThe 48-year-old is one of the richest men in Pakistan.
According to British media, French Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargolet should also be on board. He is said to have made many dives on the wreck of the Titanic and once served in the French Navy. A family spokesperson confirmed this to the BBC on Tuesday. “Mr. Titanic,” as he is known, is a former Navy diver who was part of the first expedition to study the famous wreck in 1987. He reportedly spent more time there than anyone else. The speaker hopes that his narcissism and military career will reassure the crew, even if the outcome of the rescue operation does not depend on him.
This is also consistent with Harding’s statement on Instagram: „The submarine’s crew includes legendary explorers, some of whom have conducted more than 30 dives on the 'Titanic’ since the 1980s.”
The fifth passenger is the head of the OceanGate Stockton Rush expedition. The company confirmed this on Tuesday.
On Monday, OceanGate Expeditions said it would do everything possible to „safely return the five crew members.” The company is deeply grateful for the extensive assistance we have received from many government agencies and deepwater companies in our efforts to restore contact with the submarine.
What could happen to the submarine?
BBC has it Talk to a submarine expert, which showed different scenarios of the submarine’s whereabouts. After the emergency, a „light weight” was dropped to bring the boat to the surface, Professor Alistair Gregg of University College London explained.
Gregg continued, „If there’s a power outage and/or a communications outage, it could happen and the submarine would be floating on the surface waiting to be found.” There was a leak or the boat was jammed. Hence the prognosis is „not good”, with former submarine officer Frank Owen telling the BBC that the biggest challenge for those trapped was to stay calm and not use up too much oxygen.
In the event that the submarine sinks to the sea floor again and is unable to resurface under its own power, Gregg says, the options are very limited. “The submarine may still be intact, but if it is more than 200 meters deep, there are very few ships that can go that deep, let alone divers. Vehicles designed for marine submarine rescue cannot get close to the depth of the Titanic.”
„It’s going to be hot, it’s going to be tight.”
According to one expert, the conditions on the submarine are extremely difficult. „It’s going to be hot, it’s going to be crowded,” oceanographer Simon Boxall of the University of Southampton told the BBC. „There is no rescue capsule.” At this depth, there is enormous pressure, and it is impossible to get out. „So they are totally dependent on the submarine being found. It’s a massive challenge that we’ve never had to overcome before,” Boxall emphasized. The rescue time is very short.
Oceanographer David Mearns said a commercial pipe-laying ship had arrived in the area. The vessel is very capable and it is hoped that it will have the ability to reach the depth required to search for the submarine.
CBS US reporter David Pogue, who took part in the trip last year, told the BBC the car made an offhand impression on him. “You control this submarine with an Xbox game controller,” Pugh said. Part of the ballast is made of construction tubes.
Fireplace walls and toilet – the interior of the „Titan”
„Titan” was built specifically for tourists, but it is not really comfortable. Passengers must sit on the floor. The dimensions allow no room for movement, the BBC reported Tuesday.
The curved hatch at the front is intended to provide a view of the Titanic. According to the BBC, the company is interested in „the largest observation point of all manned submarines in the deep sea.” Powerful floodlights offshore penetrate the pitch-black water at a depth of about 3,800 metres, illuminating the wreck. It can get very cold in the depths of the Atlantic Ocean. So the walls are heated.
Special Feature: There is a toilet in the front area. If you have to, pull back a curtain — and the pilot will play the music. However, the company recommends „restricting your diet before and during your dive to reduce the likelihood that you will use the facilities.”
Charm „Titanic” – for 229 thousand euros
OceanGate Cruises began running annual expeditions to the wreck of the Titanic in 2021 to document the ocean liner’s disintegration. The first group of tourists—called expedition specialists—funded the expedition with between $100,000 and $150,000 per person. According to the company’s website, the passenger seat on the Submarine currently costs $250,000 (about 229,000 euros).
The Titanic, which was considered unsinkable, left the English port of Southampton on April 10, 1912 on its maiden voyage to New York. Five days later, the world’s largest cruise ship sank after colliding with an iceberg. Nearly 1,500 of the 2,224 people lost their lives.
The wreckage of the British giant, broken in two, was found in 1985 650 kilometers off the Canadian coast. It is located in international waters in the Atlantic Ocean at a depth of about 4,000 metres.