Expanding Fleet of Ships Races Against Time to Find Lost Submersible near Titanic Wreck

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In a frantic race against time on the vast ocean, an international fleet of ships and aircrafts is intensifying its search for a submersible that disappeared in the North Atlantic while descending to the depths of the Titanic wreckage, carrying five individuals.

The U.S. Coast Guard confirmed that the search operation encompassed an area of 10,000 square miles (26,000 square kilometers), yet yielded no trace of the missing sub, known as the Titan. Despite the determination to persist in the search efforts, the remaining time is dwindling rapidly as the submersible possesses less than 48 hours of oxygen supply.

Speaking at a press conference, Cpt. Jamie Frederick from the First Coast Guard District in Boston stated, “This is an exceedingly intricate search, and our unified team is working tirelessly around the clock.” Frederick disclosed that the crew had approximately 41 hours of oxygen remaining as of midday Tuesday. He further mentioned that an underwater robot had commenced its exploration in the vicinity of the Titanic, while preparations were underway to dispatch salvage equipment to the site in the event of the sub’s discovery.

To assist in the search, three C-17 aircraft from the U.S. military were deployed to transport a commercial company’s submersible and support equipment from Buffalo, New York, to St. John’s, Newfoundland, as confirmed by a spokeswoman from the U.S. Air Mobility Command.

The submersible, named Titan, was reported overdue on Sunday night, triggering the search operation in waters approximately 435 miles (700 kilometers) south of St. John’s. Pilot Stockton Rush, the CEO of the leading expedition company, was at the helm, accompanied by British adventurer Hamish Harding, two members of a Pakistani business family, and a Titanic expert.

The submersible embarked on its journey with a 96-hour oxygen supply when it set sail at 6 a.m. on Sunday, according to David Concannon, an advisor to OceanGate Expeditions, which oversaw the mission. Consequently, the oxygen reserves may be depleted by Thursday morning.

CBS News journalist David Pogue, who had previously traveled to the Titanic aboard the Titan, explained that the vessel employed two communication systems: text messages exchanged with a surface ship and safety pings emitted every 15 minutes to indicate its operational status. Both forms of communication ceased approximately one hour and 45 minutes after the submersible submerged.

Pogue conveyed his concerns, stating, “There are only two possibilities. Either they lost all power, or the ship suffered a catastrophic hull breach and instantaneously collapsed. Both scenarios are devastatingly hopeless.”

The submersible was equipped with seven backup systems for resurfacing, including the release of sandbags, dropping lead pipes, and an inflatable balloon. Additionally, one system was designed to function even if all occupants were unconscious, Pogue revealed.

Eric Fusil, director of the University of Adelaide’s Shipbuilding Hub, presented alternative scenarios that could have disrupted communications, such as an electrical fire resulting in toxic fumes and incapacitating the crew. Another possibility is that the Titan became entangled in the Titanic wreckage and remains trapped.

Faced with formidable challenges, experts expressed their concerns. Alistair Greig, a professor of marine engineering at University College London, explained that submersibles typically possess a drop weight, which can be released in emergencies to facilitate resurfacing. Greig stated, “In the event of a power failure or communication breakdown, this mechanism might have been activated, causing the submersible to float on the surface until located.” However, if a leak occurred in the pressure hull, the prognosis would be grim.

The Canadian research icebreaker Polar Prince, which was providing support to the Titan, continued surface searches with assistance from a Canadian Boeing P-8 Poseidon reconnaissance aircraft, according to the Coast Guard’s Twitter update. Two U.S. Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft also conducted overflights.

The Canadian military deployed sonar buoys to detect any possible sounds emanating from the Titan.

OceanGate’s expeditions to the Titanic wreck site involve archaeologists, marine biologists, and paying participants who take turns operating sonar equipment and performing other tasks within the submersible.

Speaking about the lost submersible, Greg Stone, a longtime ocean scientist and friend of Stockton Rush, described it as “a fundamentally new submarine design” that held great potential for future research. Unlike its predecessors, the Titan did not possess a spherical shape.

The OceanGate company’s 2023 expedition marked its third annual voyage to document the deterioration of the Titanic, which sank in 1912 after colliding with an iceberg and resulting in the loss of approximately 1,500 lives. The wreckage was discovered in 1985 and has since been slowly deteriorating due to corrosion caused by bacteria that consume metal.

OceanGate’s website listed the “mission support fee” for the 2023 expedition at $250,000 per person.

Recalling his personal experience aboard the Titan, Pogue shared that the submersible became disoriented while searching for the Titanic. He explained, “Underwater, there is no GPS, so the surface ship is responsible for guiding the submersible to the shipwreck through text messages. However, during this dive, communication somehow broke down, and the submersible never located the wreck.”

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Contributors to this report include writers Danica Kirka, Jill Lawless, and Sylvia Hui from London, Rob Gillies from Toronto, Olga R. Rodriguez from San Francisco, Jon Gambrell from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Munir Ahmed from Islamabad.

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More about submersible search

• Race against clock, expanding fleet of ships searches for submersible lost near Titanic wreck
• OceanGate Expeditions
• Titanic Wreck
• U.S. Coast Guard
• International Maritime Organization
• NASA
• University College London
• Lockheed Martin
• Polar Prince
• CBS News