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The submarine “Titan” departed on Sunday morning. His destination: the shipwreck of the Titanic, which sank in 1912. But shortly before the destination, the connection between the transport ship and the submarine was lost. Since then, a desperate search has been underway for the submarine and its five occupants. The air is getting thinner by the minute.
The Titan now faces the same fate as the Titanic. It’s a race against time. But: A rescue at a depth of 4000 meters is almost impossible.
Blick explains what you need to know.
What happened?
On Sunday morning, the submarine began its descent to the wreck. It was accompanied by the ship “Polar Prince”, which was in constant contact with the submarine. The descent actually takes about two hours, but after an hour and forty-five minutes the escort ship lost the signal. The submarine was later reported missing.
What kind of submarine is the Titan?
The tourist submarine is operated by the American company Ocean Gate. It has space for five people and can dive up to 4000 meters deep. Perfect for an expedition to the sunken Titanic – which lies at a depth of 3800 metres. Ocean Gate promises participants a “unique travel experience” – at a proud price of $250,000 per person.
According to the plan, the tourists should have explored the wreck of the Titanic with the small submarine and then floated back to the surface. No one expected that the connection would drop and not be restored. Did the crew continue the tour without contact or was it aborted? It is not excluded that the submarine will surface on the surface of the sea.
Who’s on board?
According to information from relatives, there were five people on board the Titan. Among them the British businessman Hamish Harding (58). The billionaire is one of the first to travel to the deepest known point on Earth, the Challenger Deep in the Pacific Ocean.
As Harding announced, diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet (63) accompanied him on his adventure. Nargeleot has led several expeditions to the Titanic. Also on board were Shahzada Dawood (48) and his son Sulaiman (19). Dawood is also a businessman and is one of the richest people in Pakistan.
The last crew member is Stockton Rush (61), the owner of Ocean Gate. In an interview last year, he said that a trip to the wreck of the Titanic by submarine naturally entails certain risks, about which all crew members have been informed. “At some point, security just sucks,” says Rush.
How much time is left for rescue?
The oxygen in the submarine lasts 70 to 96 hours. Rescue workers have until Thursday to find and salvage the ship. But rescue at such a depth is almost impossible. If the batteries fail, the Titan will become icy. The missing are at risk of freezing.
Why is rescue difficult?
There are several problems with the Titan’s rescue, writes The New York Times. First the submarine must be found. Without radio this is almost impossible. If it is located anyway, the next challenge follows. At depth, the rescue options are limited.
Human divers can only go down a few hundred meters due to the pressure of the sea. In addition, absolute darkness reigns on the seabed. Sending another sub makes no sense. After all, the Titan should be able to be transported upwards.
The only hope would be an unmanned vehicle like the US Navy’s. This has to be brought to Newfoundland first – that takes time. Time that is missing for the missing.
Although there is still some time to find and recover the submarine, experts are rather pessimistic about the situation.
What would have happened on board?
There are several theories about this. Eric Fusil teaches electrical engineering at the University of Adelaide and understands submarines. He tells CNN that the loss of communication could be due to a power outage. It is still unclear whether the Titan had an “emergency power source”. It could have been a fire or a flood, he says.
Or the submarine got stuck in the rubble of the Titanic and can’t free itself. It is also possible that something has gone wrong with the ballast system that allows for ascent and descent, and the submarine can no longer surface.
Source: Blick
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
