Search efforts are underway for a submersible that went missing three days ago while exploring the wreck of the Titanic.
The U.S. Coast Guard reported that a Canadian aircraft detected underwater noises in the North Atlantic during the search for the missing vessel. Currently, underwater search operations are focusing on the “area emitting the noise”, the U.S. Coast Guard stated early Wednesday (June 21).
The Titan submersible from OceanGate. (Photo: Reuters).
This is where the Titanic struck an iceberg and sank in 1912, resulting in the deaths of about 1,500 of the 2,200 passengers and crew.
Exploration dives to the Titanic wreck are conducted by OceanGate Expeditions, a company that has been offering this service since 2021. Here’s what we know about the situation so far:
Type of Vessel Used
According to OceanGate’s website, The Titan is a manned submersible measuring 6.5 meters long, capable of carrying 5 people, including a pilot and 4 passengers, to depths of 4,000 meters.
Expedition trips to the Titanic cost USD 250,000 per person and depart from the city of St. John’s in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
From this port, passengers will use a support vessel, in this case, the Polar Prince, to travel 640 kilometers into the Atlantic Ocean. Here, the Titan will be deployed for guests to view the Titanic wreck up close.
The Titan takes approximately two hours to descend to the Titanic’s depth of about 3,800 meters.
Illustration showing the small size of the vessel, which is even controlled by a toy-like joystick. (Graphic: CNA).
In a court filing in May 2021, OceanGate claimed that the Titan has an “unparalleled safety feature”, with the ability to assess the quality of the hull after each dive.
The company stated that at the time of the filing, the Titan had completed over 50 test dives to a depth of 3,800 meters off the Bahamas and in a pressure chamber.
During the 2022 expedition, OceanGate reported that the submersible experienced battery issues during its first dive.
According to BBC, the vessel’s door is secured with bolts on the outside, meaning passengers cannot exit the vessel without assistance from the crew outside.
How Did It Go Missing?
The Titan began its descent on Sunday morning, June 18, but lost contact with the Polar Prince about 105 minutes later.
The U.S. Coast Guard indicated that the vessel could be submerged for 96 hours, and by Monday afternoon, the oxygen inside the vessel was still sufficient for approximately 70 hours.
It is unclear whether the submersible is still underwater or has surfaced.
Who Is on Board?
British billionaire and explorer Hamish Harding is among the passengers, according to a social media post.
Mr. Harding’s stepson wrote on Facebook that he had “gone missing on a submersible.” However, this post was later deleted.
The expedition set out on Friday, with the first dive scheduled for Sunday morning, according to Mr. Harding’s earlier social media post. Action Aviation, Mr. Harding’s company, also posted about his expedition.
In March 2021, he and ocean explorer Victor Vescovo dived to the lowest point of the Mariana Trench. In June 2022, he went to space aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket.
Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son, Suleman, are also on board, the family stated in a statement.
Mr. Dawood is the Vice Chairman of one of Pakistan’s largest conglomerates, Engro Corporation, which invests in fertilizers, transportation, energy, and digital technology.
Paul-Henri Nargeolet, a 77-year-old French explorer, is the last person on board. He is the director of underwater research at a company that holds rights to the Titanic wreck.
He was a commander in the French Navy and has served as a deep-sea diver and a mine sweeper. After retiring, he led the first recovery expedition to the Titanic in 1987 and is a leading authority on the site.
The fifth individual reported on board is Stockton Rush, the founder and CEO of OceanGate, who would serve as the pilot and guide on the vessel.
Treacherous Terrain
Experts say that if the vessel is on the ocean floor, rescue operations are nearly impossible. The submersible lost contact while diving at mid-depth. “It is pitch black down there and freezing cold. The seabed is muddy and uneven,” said Tim Maltin, a Titanic wreck expert.
If the submersible is on the ocean floor, experts believe rescuing it with another submersible would be unlikely. There are only a few submersibles capable of reaching the depth of the Titanic wreck. Even if access is possible, the submersible would have difficulty towing the Titan to the surface.
“We know more about the surface of the moon than the ocean floor,” said Jamie Pringle, a forensic geologist at Keele University in the UK.
Experts have stated that if the vessel is moving on the ocean’s surface, finding it is extremely difficult. The vessel is only the size of a small truck, and if it is partially submerged, the chance of remote detection becomes even harder. Transporting the vessel and the necessary equipment for the search out to the ocean also takes time.
