Titanic Submarine Search: Estimates Suggest Few Hours Of Oxygen Left; Underwater Sounds Heard For Second Day In A Row5 min read
The Titan submersible, operated by OceanGate Expeditions to explore the wreckage of the sunken Titanic off the coast of Newfoundland, dives in an undated photograph. (OceanGate Expeditions/Handout via Reuters)
After underwater noises were detected for the second day in a row, the rescue operations for the missing submarine that was taking five passengers to the underwater Titanic wreck have been expanded to double the search area. Though the US Coast Guard said that authorities are still holding out hope of saving those onboard, estimates point to the oxygen in Titan running out as early as Thursday morning local time.
A US Coast Guard official said that while the sounds that have been detected offered a chance to narrow the search, their exact location and source haven’t yet been determined. Camera-equipped remote-operated robots are playing a key role in search ops.
Lost aboard the vessel is pilot Stockton Rush, the CEO of the company leading the expedition, and his passengers are a British adventurer Hamish Harding, Pakistani father-son-duo Shahzada and Suleman Dawood, and a Titanic expert Paul-Henry Nargeolet. Newly uncovered allegations also suggest there had been significant warnings made about the vessel’s safety prior to its disappearance.
Tourist submersible went missing amid descent to Titanic on Sunday; authorities sweep surface and depths for vessel; 5 onboard with limited oxygen supply.
What is the oxygen situation as of now?
The Titan set off with 96 hours of air, according to the company, meaning its oxygen tanks would likely be depleted some time on Thursday morning. How long the air would actually last, experts said, depended on various factors, such as whether the submersible still had power and how calm those aboard remained.
Still, the countdown to oxygen depletion posed only a hypothetical deadline, assuming the missing vessel was even still intact, rather than trapped or damaged in punishing depths at or near the sea floor.
Wendy Rush, the wife of OceanGate CEO and mission pilot Stockton Rush, is a descendant of a famous couple who died onboard the Titanic in 1912, as per a New York Times report. They were also featured in the blockbuster movie ‘Titanic’.
Citing archival records, the report said that Wendy is the great-great-granddaughter of business magnates Isidor and Ida Straus, one of the wealthiest couples on Titanic for its maiden voyage. Isidor was a co-owner of the famous Macy’s department stores, it added.
As per the NYT report: “Survivors of the disaster recalled seeing Isidor Straus refuse a seat on a lifeboat when women and children were still waiting to flee the sinking liner. Ida Straus, his wife of four decades, declared that she would not leave her husband, and the two were seen standing arm in arm on the Titanic’s deck as the ship went down. A fictionalised version of the Strauses’ story was immortalized in pop culture by the director James Cameron, whose 1997 film about the disaster features a poignant shot of an older couple embracing in bed as the waters rise around their cabin.”
A renowned Titanic expert, a world-record-holding adventurer, two members of one of Pakistan’s wealthiest families and the CEO of the company leading an expedition to the world’s most famous shipwreck are facing critical danger aboard a small submersible that went missing in the Atlantic Ocean
Stockton Rush: Although his background is in aerospace and technology, Rush founded OceanGate Inc. in 2009 to provide crewed submersibles for undersea researchers and explorers, according to the company’s website. Rush is the Titan’s pilot, said company spokesperson Andrew Von Kerens.
Hamish Harding: A British businessman, Harding lives in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. Action Aviation, an aircraft brokering company for which Harding serves as chairman, said he was one of the mission specialists, who paid to go on the expedition.
Shahzada and Suleman Dawood: Father-and-son Shahzada and Suleman Dawood are members of one of Pakistan’s most prominent families. Their family said in a statement that they were both aboard the vessel.
Paul-Henry Nargeolet: Nargeolet is a former French navy officer who is considered a Titanic expert after making multiple trips to the wreckage over several decades.
As per the US Coast Guard, here’s how the events unfolded on Sunday, June 18.
📌 The submersible was launched at 8 am local time and was expected to resurface at 3 pm.
📌 But, an hour and 45 minutes into their dive, they lost contact with the Polar Prince, a Canadian Research Vessel acting as the submersible’s surface support vessel.
📌 At 5.40 pm EDT, the Coast Guard received a report on an overdue 21-foot submersible from Polar Prince with five people on board, diving to view the wreckage of the Titanic, approximately 900 nautical miles East of Cape Cod.
📌 Since then, the US Coast Guard, along with Canadian counterparts and other private entities have been involved in a frantic search-and-rescue operation.