Parks Stephenson, a leading Titanic expert who collaborated with director James Cameron on the 1997 blockbuster Titanic, has voiced his concern over the disappearance of the missing Titan submersible.
The submersible, managed by OceanGate, vanished this past Sunday, June 18, with five passengers on board.
The tiny submersible was embarking on a voyage to the wreckage site of the Titanic when contact was lost. Search and rescue teams are now racing against time, with the submersible carrying only an estimated 96 hours worth of breathable air. Reports suggest the oxygen supply could deplete by 6am BST on Thursday, 22 June.
The search operation faces a daunting challenge, as the Titanic wreckage sits at a depth of approximately 12,500 feet (3,800 meters) on the ocean floor.
On Tuesday, Captain Jamie Frederick of the US Coast Guard released a statement to reporters at a press conference, revealing in-depth details of what has occurred.
"On Sunday, the coordination command center in Boston received a report from the Canadian expedition vessel Polar Prince of an overdue 21-foot submarine, Titan, with five people on board," he said as per CBS News. "The Titan was attempting to dive on the wreck of the Titanic, approximately 900 miles east of Cape Cod and 400 miles south of St. John’s, Newfoundland.
"Approximately one hour and 45 minutes into the scheduled dive, the Polar Prince lost all communication with the Titan," he continued. "Polar Prince conducted an initial search and then requested Coast Guard assistance, the US Coast Guard in Boston assumed the responsibility of search-and-rescue mission coordinator and immediately launched search assets."
Frederick then revealed that the search has covered a "combined 7,600 square miles," adding that this was due to the combined effort of the US and Canadian Coast Guard, Air National Guard aircraft and the Polar Prince.
The submersible's remote location complicates access, despite advancements in submersible technology.
Stephenson, who visited the 1912 shipwreck site with Cameron multiple times while serving as a technical advisor on the Oscar-winning film, expressed his worry for the crew in a Facebook post.
“No matter what you may read in the coming hours, all that is truly known at this time is that communications with the submersible have been lost and that is unusual enough to warrant the most serious consideration," he wrote.
The Titanic expert went on to say: “I am most concerned about the souls aboard." He also announced that he would be “declining all interview requests”, stating that the situation is evolving and he wants to be respectful in what could become "a major tragedy".
At a press conference on Monday, 19 June, Rear Admiral John Mauger announced that the US Coast Guard is putting in all possible efforts to locate the missing submarine.
"A frantic marine search is underway for a missing tourist submersible which has not been seen since it launched to take five people to the Titanic wreckage yesterday morning," he said. The Coast Guard was alerted about the disappearance on the afternoon of Sunday, 18 June, and they are now mobilizing all available assets to locate the missing vessel.
"We're working as hard as possible bringing all assets to bear to try and find the submersible," Mauger said, outlining the comprehensive search operations underway to locate the submersible and its crew.
Our thoughts continue to go out to everybody impacted by this developing situation, as well as to the search crew.
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