Missing submersible Titan
The US Coast Guard is searching for a submersible carrying five people on a dive on the wreck of the Titanic in the North Atlantic off Newfoundland. The submersible Titan, which began its dive towards the Titanic wreck site on Sunday morning, lost contact with the research vessel Polar Prince an hour and 45 minutes into the dive, according to the US Coast Guard.
Sky News is reporting that UK billionaire Hamish Harding is one of five people on board the missing tourist submersible. Two others reported to be on board are French submersible pilot, Paul-Henry Nargeolet, and chief executive and founder of OceanGate Expeditions, Stockton Rush.
OceanGate Expeditions, the operator of the submersible, said in a statement on Monday that it was “mobilizing all options” to rescue those on the underwater vessel.
The submersible Titan is made of titanium and carbon fiber, weighs about 21,000 pounds, and is listed as measuring 22 feet by 9.2 feet by 8.3 feet, with 96 hours of “life support” for five people.
OceanGate chartered the MV Polar Prince, the ex-CCGS Sir Humphrey Gilbert, to serve as the ship on the surface near the dive site. The company’s website outlines an eight-day itinerary for the trip out of St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada. The site says customers do not require any previous diving experience, but that there are “a few physical requirements like being able to board small boats in active seas.”
OceanGate has led previous tourist trips to the wreck of the Titanic at a cost of $250,000 per person.
The US Coast Guard warned that the search, taking place approximately 900 miles east off Cape Cod, has been “challenging” due to the remote location.
Rear Adm. John Mauger, commander of the First Coast Guard District, said: “It is a remote area and it is a challenge to conduct a search in that area” but added, “We’re deploying all available assets”.
The Daily Mail reports that the Titan has disappeared before. During an expedition last summer, the vessel lost communication with its mothership for two and a half hours.
Thanks to Roberta Weisbrod and Alaric Bond for contributing to this post.
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Why did it not have an EPIRB?
Perhaps Jean-Pierre is thinking of “Subsunk”. This is a buoy release system used by submarines that I remember learning about when studying at Warsash, Hants. School of Navigation back in 1958.
Yes I am an ancient mariner now at 86 and long in retirement.
Also in passing when I was in the Canadian Coastguard one of the vessels I served in was a sister ship of the mothership to the missing submersible.
Small world of mariners!!
Good Watch
Further to my comment.
Under Nektonix.com “SUBSUNK” the HMS/M “Affray” tragedy of 1951 there is an interesting article about her loss and how the system was supposed to work.
Good Watch
Regarding the EPIRB question, they only work above water and I do not believe that a unit capable of launching and withstanding the pressures around the Titanic exists.
Location underwater is normally by a transponder transmitting a pulsed frequency signal for emergency use or an interrogated receive and transmit system that will allow a range and bearing to be calculated from the mothership.
I worked on the Pisces and LR boats in the 70s and 80s with Vickers Oceanics and Fred Olsen Oceanics.
Thank you Peter for sharing your knowledge and experience. I called it an epirb as that is what I imagine would happen if some sort of released signalling device reached the surface. As there was no umbilical they should have some method of communicating distress in case they become trapped in a ghost net or suffered a loss of positioning power.
We may never know what became of them but I sincerely hope that if they are not rescued that their demise was sudden rather than long and lingering.
J-P D agree with you wholeheartedly mon vieux. I would also like to see a complete stop to”tourist” trips to wrecks of passenger ships. These are peoples graves and should be respected. To monitor the state of them from decay etc. rovs can be used and with no lives endangered. Off the south coast of Ireland, I was born in Waterford, we have the RMS Luisitania again a grave site.
Good Watch
You have rattled my cage there: Peel Ports, the managers of the River Medway navigation removed the wreck of HMS Irene, a WW1 munitions ship which exploded on her moorings spreading wreckage and bodies over a large area, purely because it was obstructing the adjacent container port. I tried to get a response from the war graves people but received none so I suspect subterfuge.