Advanced technology is being hurriedly sent to the North Atlantic Ocean to find and save the five people onboard a submersible that disappeared on Sunday as it descended to the ocean bottom.
Every time the Titan submarine sets out to examine the Titanic's debris, it has around 96 hours of life support left, according to CNN. This makes Thursday morning a critical time in the search and rescue efforts.
On Thursday morning, the Northeast District of the US Coast Guard stated that a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) is now searching the ocean bottom for the submersible.
The Magellan, another ROV that can connect lifting cables to the Titan submersible and has already performed a digital study of the Titanic disaster, is also on its way to provide aid, according to officials from the Explorers Club,
#Titanic #OceanGate A look at the ships in or near the search area currently. Of note are the scan tracks of Deep Energy and Skandi Vinland. #vesseltracking by @BigOceanData pic.twitter.com/EvICykqQSB
— Jay Lowe (@jaysguitars) June 22, 2023
Capt. Jamie Frederick, the response coordinator for the First Coast Guard District, says aircraft are now scouring a search area twice the size of Connecticut that extends as deep as 2 1/2 miles. Hyperbaric chamber specialists and deep-sea medical workers are also coming to the site, per ABC Action News.
Authorities Remain Hopeful
The situation is becoming increasingly grim, yet search crews hold onto hope. Experts' growing anxiety over the submersible's declining oxygen levels only emphasizes how critical cutting-edge technology is for reaching the North Atlantic Ocean as soon as possible. The most crucial stage of this complex global search operation is currently in progress.
According to authorities, the 21-foot Titan submersible contained a small food and water supply, had basic controls, and had a small cabin. Comparing the mission to locating a needle in a haystack, the discovery of pounding sounds underwater on Tuesday and Wednesday inside the broad search area has given rise to some optimism.
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Capt. Frederick noted that the number of resources involved in the search effort for the missing Titan submersible is anticipated to quadruple over the next few days as aircraft continue their aerial searches and remotely controlled vehicles explore the depths.
Pounding Sounds From the Deep Detected
On Tuesday and four hours later on Wednesday, the crew looking for the Titan submersible reported hearing pounding sounds at 30-minute intervals.
The US Coast Guard said the oxygen supply in the missing submersible will run out by 1 p.m. UK time on Thursday, per The Independent.
Along with British millionaire adventurer Hamish Harding, famous French diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet, OceanGate Expeditions CEO and founder Stockton Rush, Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood, and his 19-year-old son Suleman Dawood is also on board the Titan.
On Sunday morning, the watercraft sank from its support vessel and set off for the Titanic ruins at a depth of 12,500 feet. An hour and a half later, the Titan lost communication with the Polar Prince, the missing submersible's surface vessel.
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