Title: Submersible on Titanic Wreckage Tour Reported Overdue, Coast Guard Launches Search Effort
Date: June 21, 2023
A submersible operated by OceanGate Inc. has been reported overdue during a tour of the wreckage of the Titanic, prompting a search effort by the Coast Guard. The 22-foot, 23,000-pound vessel, named Titan, was carrying five crew members and was designed with life support systems to sustain them for 96 hours.
OceanGate Inc., founded by Stockton Rush in 2009, aims to make deep-ocean exploration more accessible to scientists and tourists. The company has conducted over 200 dives and developed three submersible designs over the past fourteen years.
The missing submersible, Titan, is OceanGate’s only vessel capable of reaching the depths of the Titanic’s wreckage, which rests 12,400 feet below the surface. Constructed primarily of lightweight carbon fiber and titanium, the Titan is a compact vessel, measuring nine feet wide and eight feet tall. It offers limited space for its passengers, who sit on a subfloor inside the carbon-fiber tube.
Equipped with four electric thrusters, the Titan can move through the water at approximately 3 mph. The vessel also features an integrated real-time health monitoring system that continuously assesses its structural integrity during expeditions.
OceanGate partnered with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the University of Washington, and Boeing to design the hull of the Titan. The vessel underwent a validation dive in 2018, where Stockton Rush successfully demonstrated its ability to reach a depth of 4,000 meters.
The search and rescue operation for the missing submersible present unique challenges. If the submersible is floating on the ocean’s surface, rescuers have a three-day window to locate and unbolt its titanium hatch to provide fresh oxygen to the passengers. However, if the craft is still submerged, the search effort becomes more complex, requiring the location and extraction of the submersible from the ocean depths.
Retired Navy submarine commander David Marquet emphasized the difficulty of the rescue operation, as most submarines, including those used for emergency rescues, cannot reach the depths that the Titan can. The search effort will require specialized equipment and expertise.
OceanGate Inc. has confirmed the loss of contact with the submersible and is actively exploring all options to ensure the safe return of the crew members. The company’s focus remains on the well-being of the crew and their families.
As the search effort continues, authorities are working tirelessly to locate and rescue the missing submersible and its crew, hoping for a positive outcome in this challenging situation.
How is the Coast Guard utilizing technology, such as sonar and underwater cameras, to search for the missing submersible Titan?
F carbon fiber, Titan is equipped with powerful lights, cameras, and manipulator arms to help explore and capture images of the famous shipwreck.
The submersible set off on its Titanic Wreckage Tour on June 18, 2023, from St. John’s, Newfoundland. The tour was expected to last approximately ten days, during which tourists would have the opportunity to view the iconic Titanic wreck firsthand.
However, on June 20, two days into the tour, Titan failed to make its expected communications check-in. Concerned about the submersible’s safety, OceanGate Inc. contacted the Coast Guard, which promptly launched a search operation in the Atlantic Ocean.
The Coast Guard is utilizing various resources to locate the missing submersible. Aircraft and vessels equipped with sonar and underwater cameras have been deployed to search the area where Titan was last known to be. The search operation is being conducted with urgency, as time is of the essence to locate any potential survivors.
OceanGate Inc. is actively collaborating with the Coast Guard, providing them with all the necessary information about the submersible and its crew. The company’s priority is the safety and well-being of the missing crew members and the recovery of the submersible.
Further updates on the search operation and any developments regarding the missing submersible will be communicated by the Coast Guard and OceanGate Inc. as they become available.
It is important to note that this search effort is specific to the missing submersible on the Titanic Wreckage Tour. If there are any other incidents or reports related to submersibles or the Titanic, they may be addressed separately.
I hope and pray for the safe rescue of those five individuals who went missing off the Newfoundland coast. May they be found quickly and brought back to their loved ones.
This is a distressing situation. Praying for the safe recovery of everyone on board the submersible. May the search and rescue efforts be successful in bringing them back home soon.