A Spanish Point naval historian fears the crew of the missing Titan submersible is in a race against time.
The vessel, which was reported overdue south of Newfoundland in Canada on Sunday, has an estimated remaining oxygen supply of 30 hours.
The US Coast Guard, US Navy and Canadian Coast Guard are coordinating the search for the Titan with additional input from the submersible’s operator, OceanGate.
The expedition is just one of many voyages to the wreck of the Titantic embarked on by OceanGate vessels since 2021.
Aboard the vessel are billionaire businessman Hamish Harding, UK-based businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman, French submersible pilot Paul-Henry Nargeolet and OceanGate chief executive and founder Stockton Rush.
Mr Harding stated on social media at the weekend he was “proud to finally announce” that he would be aboard the mission to the Titanic.
With temperatures on the ocean floor just above freezing and oxygen in short supply, experts say time is very much against the five crew members.
Naval historian and Spanish Point native John Tracey believes the crew must do everything they can to conserve oxygen at this critical time.
There is some cause for optimism as crew members have noted “banging” sounds at regular intervals in the last few hours.
The Explorers Club, of which two vessel passengers are members, say “likely signs of life have been detected at the site”.
With search crews scrambling to locate the missing voyagers, UK marine operations specialist Mike Welham says the “banging” noises indicate the crew has not given up hope.
