On the 18th, a small submersible on an expedition tour to the wreck of the “Titanic” cruise ship disappeared in the Atlantic Ocean. According to news from the U.S. Coast Guard on the 19th, the U.S. and Canadian Coast Guards are conducting search and rescue operations. As of now, the submersible has not been found.
The expedition was organized by the US “Ocean Gate” exploration company. The expedition team set off from eastern Canada by boat a few days ago to the sinking waters of the “Titanic” cruise ship in the North Atlantic. They took the “Titan” submersible to dive on the morning of the 18th, but lost contact after diving for about 1 hour and 45 minutes. The Coast Guards of the United States and Canada have dispatched aircraft and ships, using sonar buoys and other equipment, to search in the sea about 1,450 kilometers east of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, United States.
The wreck of the Titanic
The “Ocean Gate” company organizes archaeologists, marine biologists and so-called “mission experts” to inspect the wreck of the “Titanic” for a fee. The company said a total of 28 people arrived at the wreck of the Titanic in submersibles last year. But this kind of “expedition” is not absolutely safe. According to the Associated Press, citing a court document submitted by the “Ocean Gate” company in May 2021, during a dive in 2022, the battery of the “Titan” had problems and was not allowed to fly. Do not manually attach the submersible to a platform that lifts it out of the water.
At present, the five occupants of the “Titan” submersible have been identified, including the founder of “Ocean Gate” Stockton Rush. David Concannon, a consultant to the “Ocean Gate” company, said that starting from 6 o’clock on the 18th, the oxygen supply of the “Titan” can last for 96 hours, which is about 4 days; relevant submarine experts said that the current search and rescue is too difficult There is little hope of the crew surviving.
[Responsible editor: Dong Jing]