Rescue Of Lost Titanic-Bound Sub Would Be Deepest Recovery Mission In History

In a historic undertaking, a bold rescue operation is underway to retrieve a submersible, bound for the Titanic, which vanished in the depths of the ocean off the coast of Newfoundland on Sunday morning. If successful, this mission would mark the deepest recovery mission ever accomplished. The Coast Guard has announced that they have a narrow window of 70 to 96 hours to locate the missing sub operated by OceanGate Expeditions and save the five individuals on board, setting a remarkable record in the process.

The search efforts are concentrated on an area approximately 900 miles off Cape Cod, where the submersible is believed to be situated at an astonishing depth of 13,000 feet (equivalent to 2.4 miles), as revealed by Coast Guard officials. The challenges of reaching such depths are immense, and even if a craft were capable of reaching that point, attaching to the submersible and towing it to the ocean’s surface seems highly unlikely.

Professor Alistair Greig, an expert in marine engineering from University College London, highlighted the limited options available in such a scenario. If the submersible has descended to the seabed and is unable to ascend under its own power, the chances of successful rescue are minimal. While the submersible may still be intact, the lack of vessels capable of navigating those depths, let alone accommodating divers, poses a significant challenge.

To aid in the search and rescue efforts, authorities are working to deploy a remotely operated vehicle capable of diving to depths of up to 20,000 feet, according to David Concannon, an advisor to OceanGate.

The current record for the deepest submarine rescue stands at a depth of merely 1,575 feet below the Celtic Sea off the coast of Ireland in 1973. The Canadian commercial submersible Pisces III had become trapped on the seabed but was eventually recovered after a grueling 76-hour operation. Both occupants were saved, narrowly escaping a depletion of oxygen by a mere 12 minutes, as reported by the BBC.

The ill-fated submersible intended for the Titanic expedition was launched from the Canadian research vessel Polar Prince on Sunday morning. The objective was to visit the legendary ocean liner that met its tragic fate in 1912 after colliding with an iceberg. Regrettably, communication with the sub was lost approximately one hour and 45 minutes after it submerged, prompting its reported disappearance on Sunday night when it failed to return to its supporting ship as scheduled.

Unlike submarines capable of independent submersion and return to port, the submersible in question relies on external assistance. It was equipped with a drop weight, a mechanism that could be released in emergencies to facilitate buoyancy and bring the submersible back to the ocean’s surface, as explained by Professor Greig.

Had the missing sub deployed its drop weight, it would have remained afloat on the ocean’s surface, waiting to be located. However, the submersible’s oxygen supply, which started dwindling at approximately 6 a.m. on Sunday, continues to diminish, adding urgency to the rescue mission. David Concannon, who was initially supposed to participate in the dive but couldn’t due to other commitments, revealed this information.

The Coast Guard, in collaboration with Canadian authorities, is leading the search and rescue operation, employing both aerial and maritime resources. Rear Admiral John Mauger, a commanding officer with the US Coast Guard, emphasized the challenges of conducting a search in such a remote region but assured that all available assets are being deployed to locate the submersible and rescue its occupants.

The submersible accommodates a total of five individuals, including Hamish Harding, a British businessman and billionaire adventurer. OceanGate Expeditions, the private company responsible for the launch, offers exclusive tours of the Titanic wreckage site, commanding a price of up to $250,000 per person. Sunday’s ill-fated voyage marked OceanGate’s third annual expedition to report on the deterioration of the famous underwater shipwreck over the years.

{Matzav.com}