Mission against the clock: how long must the five passengers of the submarine that descended into the Atlantic Ocean to see the remains of the Titanic live?

A team searching for the tourist submarine that disappeared on Sunday, June 18 with five people on board has two essential tasks: to find them alive and to overcome the challenge of the passage of time. In other words, it is a battle against time.

Forces from Canada and the United States are mobilizing teams to rescue the passengers. France offered its help with an underwater robot on Tuesday morning, June 20.

On Monday, the Daily Mail reported that a “desperate” search mission is underway to rescue the tourist submarine Titanic that disappeared 4,500 feet into the Atlantic Ocean with 70 flight hours to go.

This Tuesday, however, fears increased for the five people who traveled in the submarine, as the ship has oxygen autonomy for up to 96 hours, that is, until next Thursday, the AFP agency reported.

The urgency is to find the submarine and “raise it in time to rescue those on board,” Canadian Fisheries, Oceans and Coast Guard Minister Joyce Murray said.

He reported that the coast guard ship of that country, the Kopit Hopson 1752, is on its way to the tip of the ocean where the submarine Titan disappeared, the agency EFE reported.

The warning message from one of the submarine’s passengers who was supposed to see the remains of the Titanic

what happened to the submarine

The 6.5-meter craft began its dive on Sunday but lost contact with the surface less than two hours later, authorities said, according to AFP.

The crew launched around 4 a.m. on Sunday, but lost communication with the mother ship just an hour and 45 minutes later, authorities told media.

The submarine Titan, searched for in the Atlantic Ocean, operated by OceanGate Expeditions, is used to take tourists to the wreckage of the Titanic.

spokespersons

Several aircraft, the EFE agency described, have flown over the search area, located about 900 miles (1,450 kilometers) from Cape Cod in Massachusetts, where the submarine is believed to be located.

It can be on the surface or underwater, up to 13,000 feet (about 4,000 meters).

An OceanGate consultant who planned to be on the expedition, David Concannon, said officials are working to obtain a remote-controlled vehicle (ROV) that can reach depths of 20,000 feet at the site as soon as possible, said the Daily Mail.

Canada announced that it has “deployed a Lockheed CP-140 Aurora military maritime surveillance aircraft with submarine detection capability.”

ROVs are equipped with underwater thrusters, cameras, lights and may also have mechanical manipulators, sonar and magnetometers.

Daily mail

What makes the tasks difficult? In Antena 3, they reported that “six-foot waves and thick fog complicate rescue efforts, which target an area more than 900 miles from Cape Cod in Massachusetts.

That’s where – it is believed – “the submarine could be found,” said US Coast Guard Commander John Mauger.

Who’s in the submarine

Among the passengers of the tourist submarine are a father and his son. The first is a Pakistani businessman identified as Shahzada Dawood. He was with his son Suleman Dawood.

Dawood is vice president of Karachi-based conglomerate Engro, which has investments in energy, agriculture, petrochemicals and telecommunications.

Another on board is British businessman Hamish Harding, whose airline had posted on social media about his expedition to the area.

Harding, the AFP described, is a 58-year-old aviator, space tourist and president of the Action Aviation Association.

Possible scenarios handled by emergency responders

According to British media, “the missing tourist submarine is believed to have pinged for the last time while directly above its destination: the Titanic.”

Titan communicates by sending a ping to the Polar Prince every 15 minutes.

The rescuers put forward two scenarios on Monday afternoon, according to the Daily Mail. The AFP consulted an expert and here we tell you what they think:

The impressive images of the 3D “scan” made to the Titanic: they photograph shoes, propellers and even bottles of champagne to the most famous shipwreck in history

see the titanic

During its maiden voyage, the Titanic sank in 1912. The wreck was located in 1985 by a joint United States-French expedition, deepening the fascination with this catastrophe, AFP recalled.

The remains of the Titanic, which sank after colliding with an iceberg in 1912, lie at a depth of about 3,800 meters and about 640 kilometers from the Canadian island of Newfoundland.

antenna 3

Fueled by movies and the recent impressive 3D scan rendering of the ocean liner, tourist demand has grown, Stefan Williams said.

On its website, the OceanGate Expeditions company offers “eight-day, seven-night trips to visit the remains of the Titanic, with an estimated cost of $250,000,” according to Antena 3.

It’s a phenomenon similar to that of space tourism, he estimated: “There’s a desire to live these kinds of experiences.”