Search efforts are underway to find a submersible carrying five people that went missing near the site of the Titanic wreck. A Canadian plane equipped with sonar capabilities detected underwater noises while searching for the Titan. Search teams are trying to locate the source of the sounds. The US Coast Guard has shared the data gathered by the aircraft with US Navy experts for future searches. The sub was designed to have an oxygen supply of up to 96 hours in an emergency, but its crew probably had less than 30 hours' worth when it left to explore the Titanic site on Sunday. The mother ship lost all communication with the sub about 1 hour and 45 minutes after it submerged.
The search for the missing sub is an international operation, with authorities from the US and Canada on the scene, alongside France, which dispatched a vessel equipped with an underwater robot. Private vessels have also joined the search efforts. Based on fresh data gathered in the field, an international exploration club has expressed hopes of finding survivors, though it has not released any details about the data or what was found.
The sub, named Titan, is 6.7 meters long, made of carbon fiber and titanium, and is designed to operate at a maximum depth of 4,000 meters. It was operated by OceanGate Expeditions, which is leading the search due to its familiarity with the Titanic site. Members of the New York-based Explorers Club are on board the sub, alongside OceanGate founder Stockton Rush and the father and son team of Shahzada and Suleman Dawood from one of Pakistan’s most prominent families.
The search and rescue team faces a critical hour-by-hour timeline. Though transferring salvage equipment to the site is a priority, finding the sub is the key challenge. US Coast Guard Captain Jamie Frederick refused to estimate whether enough time exists to recover the vessel before it runs out of air, but he confirmed that the primary objective is to locate the sub.