In the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, a thorough search effort is under progress.Teams of searchers are seeking for a submarine that carried visitors to the Titanic wreck, one of the most well-known ships in history.
After losing contact with the submarine that submerged on Sunday, efforts have been made to track it down.Contact with the submarine was lost an hour and 45 minutes after the dive, according to the US Coast Guard.
There were five persons on board this little submarine owned by Oceangate. According to the company, every available tool is being employed to find the submarine. The cost of the eight-day tourist excursion is 2.5 million dollars, or roughly 2 crore rupees.
In order to get close to the Titanic shipwreck, the submarine travels 3800 metres below the water’s surface. The US and Canadian navies, as well as commercial deep sea businesses, are all reportedly involved in the search operation.
The Titanic’s wreckage is located in the Atlantic Ocean, 700 kilometres from St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada, and the closest place in North America to the ocean.
Nevertheless, the search for this submarine is being coordinated from Boston in America.The Titan Submersible, built by Ocean Gate Company, is a five-person, truck-sized submarine that has gone missing.
In an emergency, this submarine typically carries four days’ worth of oxygen. Rear Admiral John Mauger of the US Coast Guard stated at a press conference on Monday, “We are estimating that we have anywhere from 70 hours to 96 hours to find the submarine.”
The family of Britain’s billionaire businessman Hamish Harding says that he is also aboard this submarine.
Harding, 58, is also an explorer. Last weekend, Harding said on social media, “I am proud to say that I am part of the expedition to the wreck of the Titanic.”He also said that due to the worst winter in the last four decades in Newfoundland, this could be the only manned mission to go to Titanic in 2023.
He later wrote, “There has been an opportunity due to the weather and we will try to dive tomorrow.” Oceangate has said in a statement that its full focus is on the people aboard the submarine and their families.
“We are extremely grateful for the extensive cooperation we are receiving from multiple government agencies and deep sea companies in our efforts to re-establish contact with the submarine,” the company statement said.
The missing submarines are made of carbon fiber. In promoting its tour, the company claims, “This is your chance to discover something truly extraordinary outside everyday life.”
According to the company’s website, one campaign is underway and two more campaigns are scheduled for June 2024. Usually, a pilot, three tourists and a ‘content expert’ in the language of the company are aboard this submarine.
This journey starts from St. John’s in Newfoundland. The entire dive to and from the Titanic wreck took up to eight hours.According to Oceangate’s website, it has three submarines but only Titan is capable of reaching the wreckage of Titanic.
This submarine weighs 10432 kg and according to the company’s website, it can reach a depth of 13100 feet. This submarine has 96 hours of life-saving oxygen for five passengers.The owner of Oceangate has told the sources that a ship named Polar Prince is also part of this campaign. Through this ship, the submarine is taken to the location of the wreckage.
CBS News correspondent David Pogue, who traveled aboard the Titan submersible last year, told that at this time there is no way of contact between the people aboard the submarine and the outside world because neither GPS nor radio works so deep under the water.
Pogue explained that when the support ship is directly above the submarine, it can send instructions via text message and receive messages. It is obvious that these messages are still not being answered.
He told that the passengers in the submarine are sealed by bolting outside, so even if the submarine comes to the surface, the passengers will have no way to get out. Company’s employees can open this submarine only from outside.
Titanic was the largest ship of its time which sank during its maiden voyage. In 1912, this ship going from Britain to America collided with an iceberg on the way.
There were 2200 people aboard this ship, out of which about 1500 were killed.The wreckage of the Titanic ship was found in 1985 and since then the search operations keep going to see this wreckage.
The wreckage of the ship is in two parts and is 2600 feet away from each other. There is also a large area of debris near the wrecked ship.
