Experts emphasized that the submersible's oxygen supply was an imprecise estimate and could be extended if passengers have taken measures to conserve breathable air.
The Titan submersible was estimated to have about a four-day supply of breathable air when it launched Sunday morning in the North Atlantic. That puts the deadline to find and rescue the sub at roughly between 6 a.m. EDT and 8 a.m. EDT , based on information the U.S. Coast Guard and company behind the expedition have provided.The search continues for the missing OceanGate Titan submersible, which disappeared Sunday during a dive to the wreckage of the Titanic.
The Titan was reported overdue Sunday afternoon about 435 miles south of St. John’s, Newfoundland, as it was on its way to where the iconic ocean liner sank more than a century ago. The area of the North Atlantic where the Titan vanished Sunday is also prone to fog and stormy conditions, making it an extremely challenging environment to conduct a search-and-rescue mission, said Donald Murphy, an oceanographer who served as chief scientist of the Coast Guard’s International Ice Patrol. The passengers are also facing temperatures just above freezing.
The U.S. Coast Guard reports that "banging noises" were heard from underwater during the search for the missing submersible carrying five people to the wreckage of the Titanic. Christopher Roman, an oceanography professor at the University of Rhode Island joined LiveNOW from FOX's Josh Breslow to discuss the rescue efforts.
The Titan weighs 20,000 pounds . The U.S. Navy’s Flyaway Deep Ocean Salvage System is designed to lift up to 60,000 pounds , the Navy said on its website.Retired Navy Capt. Carl Hartsfield, now the director of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Systems Laboratory, said the sounds have been described as "banging noises," but he warned that search crews "have to put the whole picture together in context and they have to eliminate potential manmade sources other than the Titan.
Lost aboard the vessel is pilot Stockton Rush, the CEO of OceanGate. His passengers are: British adventurer Hamish Harding; Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman; and French explorer and Titanic expert Paul-Henry Nargeolet. During the 2.5-hour descent and ascent, the lights were turned off to conserve energy, he said, with the only illumination coming from a fluorescent glow stick.
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