Missing Titanic submarine

[Twinklesgolden]

How horrifying that a submarine carrying 5 people has gone missing. Apparently there’s only 96 hours of air on the submarine when it sets off.

The people on board must be terrified!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-65953872.amp

We've been following the search and rescue efforts underway in the North Atlantic, after a submersible went missing on Sunday morning - more than 24 hours ago.
Here's a quick look at what we know:
• The submersible has between 70-96 hours of emergency oxygen left (as of 17:00 local time)
• The submersible vanished in the ocean approximately 900 miles (1,448km) from Cape Cod, Massachusetts at a depth of roughly 13,000 feet (4km)
• Five people are on board. The Coast Guard said on Monday there is one pilot and "four mission operators," but did not elaborate further
• The US Coast Guard is working with Canadian forces and private vessels in the area
• The search involves sonar, aerial searches and surface vessels and is being carried out in a very remote location
• Part of the current operation involves anticipating what capabilities will be needed to rescue those aboard if found

One of the most recent BBC updates

This interview by the man who once rode it gives a very alarming interview.
Sounds like a very sketchy, dangerous operation.
Should have been illegal.

I've just finished reading a pretty crappy thriller called Drowning by TJ Newman. Its about a plane that crashes into the ocean and the few survivors are stuck inside the cabin. Most of the book is about how incredibly difficult the rescue mission is and they were only a few hundred metres down. IIRC they had a similar amount of air too. So if the facts in the book are at all accurate and this craft is potentially 4k down, they have no chance at all unfortunately. Their only hope is if the sub has resurfaced somewhere. If the worst has happened, I'd say it would have been quick at least, horrifying to think they may potentially be still alive and running out of time.

interesting youtube linked to above.
as said upthread, they will just fall asleep if not recovered

Just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should. Ie treating the Titanic as a tourist destination.

I don’t think there will be a miracle here so I hope it was a catastrophic decompression and they died instantly.

A bit like flying in a plane…

Not really..

For example a single failure on a commercial aircraft (e.g. a window, an engine, an air conditioning pack) shouldn't result in loss of aircraft and occupants..if something goes wrong you usually have a very large window to solve the problem.

It's hard to judge at a distance but it would appear this submersible seems a bit less fault tolerant..

You'd certainly never get me down in one of those things...

The journalists in that clip seem very cheerful.

Haven't RTWT. Whilst I hope they are found safely, I do think this is a ridiculous vanity project and will potentially risk the lives of others ( coastguards) and will cost a lot of money.

That is cold. Empathy isn't on that bingo card, either.

Well they're not really bog standard tourists. One of them at least is a sort of explorer who's been to both poles. I'd compare this sort of thing to going to climb Everest. You can go as a civilian but I imagine you're made aware of the risks.

Can't explain the claustrophobia this story is giving me. Horrifying! I do hope they're recovered safe and well but lord I can't even begin to get my head around how the rescue operation is going to work.

But I said to DH no way you'd get me on a submarine to see the Titanic wreckage. I'm not superstitious but I have to say (given the story behind the Titanic) it does feel like tempting fate!

Can anyone with more knowledge on this please help me understand why satellite pictures can't pick up the submersible if it's bobbing on the ocean?
Is it too small to be seen? Because the Atlantic is huge, would it take too long to scan the area anyway?

Apart from all this I can't stop wondering how they sleep in the submersible, if they there 8 days, presumably they must have sleep, what about toilet? I cant imagine that all in a such tight space..

They don’t, they were only meant to be on it for 8 hours. It was launched from a bigger ship where they and others waiting for their ‘go’ were staying.

I imagine it is because it’s so small, being able to spot it in such a vast area if if has no comms or location devices would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

There are marine scientists who are able to try and locate how far it could have moved in the time scale it’s been missing so if it has resurfaced they should be able to search a rough location. I’m not sure how accurate it would be and maybe a lot of it is guess work?

I was really hoping they’d have been found on the surface by now.

You'd hope the thing wouldn't have drifted too far so no need to scan the whole of the North Atlantic, but it will be little object (certainly the bit above the waterline will be , and might not be easy to see depending on the sea state.

If it's surfaced/ hopefully when it is surfaces best bet might be (as somebody pointed out upthread) it being spotted by an aircraft using a suitable form of radar or Infra red imaging.

I does sound like a dangerous Mickey Mouse operation to me and the apparent lack of any form of tracking device is just unbelievable really .

The news channels are now confirming that a Pakistani billionaire living in the UK and his 19 year old son are the 4th and 5th people on board and there is enough oxygen on board to last until around 2pm on Thursday.

Isn't that how long they'd live without water as well? How well equipped are they?

I'm not familiar with the tech so open to correction but I thought I'd seen reports there was at least one tracking device on board - presumably acoustic.

It was meant to send routine reports back to the surface and the problem/alarm was raised when that went off the air.

I can’t find any mention of how much water or other equipment on board.

Just scanning quickly before the school run but it’s been confirmed a submersible vessel will be involved in the rescue attempt, although the depth is over 11,000 feet greater than any other successful sub rescue.

It last pinged just above the Titanic so it looks like it was very deep when it lost contact.

Honestly I can’t feel too sorry for people who sign up for this. Maybe they should have had more respect for the titanic and the souls lost on it, rather than treating it like a fun crazy tourist destination!

This is the stuff of nightmares. It sounds awful but I hope if they are still below the surface that it was something catastrophic and instant that went wrong.

The thought of them alive and waiting in what will eventually be their tomb is horrific.