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An ROV operating near the Titanic has found a debris field, according to a social media post from the U.S. coast guard. Experts with the search team are now analyzing the information. This is a breaking news story. More to come.
A previous version of the story is below.
Two new remotely operated vehicles have entered the search for the missing Titan submersible and its five crew members on Thursday morning, but the clock has now expired on the sub’s estimated life support.
OceanGate Expeditions, the company behind the lost voyage to the Titanic wreckage, said its vessel was equipped with 96 hours of oxygen and supplies. According to the timeline set out by the United States coast guard, that window is now closed.
Despite the grim forecast, friends of at least one passenger on the expedition are not ready to give up hope.
“I believe, and maybe that seems crazy, but I believe anything is possible,” said Mathieu Johann, friend of Paul-Henri Nargeolet, on Thursday.
The renowned Titanic explorer has visited the wreck site more than 30 times since being a member of the first manned voyage in 1987. His friends were encouraged when the coast guard said a Canadian aircraft had picked up banging noises under the ocean through sonobuoys.
“Those sounds are our only hope and our only link to Paul-Henri,” Johann said. “Despite the circumstances, we’re staying positive. The information we have gives the impression that the sounds, at such a high frequency, are human in nature.”
The sounds were observed throughout Tuesday and Wednesday, though experts working on the search cautioned that they had yet to determine whether they could be coming from the sub, or something else under the water.
Larry Daley, who visited the Titanic in 2003, has been friends with Nargeolet for years. He said Thursday that his friend would know how to extend their oxygen as long as possible.
“He’s a super-intelligent guy and not a guy who would panic in this situation,” Daley said. “I’m not sure of the capabilities of the other passengers … but P.H. is a very well-organized guy and very detailed. I’m sure he would come up with different strategies to implement.”
Daley said he doesn’t want to give people false hope but he’s not willing to give up on his friend yet.
“My hope is to sit down and have another Iceberg beer with him at Quidi Vidi Brewery,” he said.
Cold water could extend timeline, doctor says
In a twist, an expert in the field tells CBC News that one of the things that could kill the five crew members could also save their lives.
“It does need to be remembered that hypothermia is also protective of the brain and heart, and as people get colder their metabolism slows down.” said Dr. Ken LeDez, a hyperbaric medicine specialist in St. John’s. “If alive and hypothermic, then oxygen could last longer.”
There were few updates in the search for the missing submersible Titan overnight into Thursday morning — a stark quietness as the 96-hour window for a successful search draws closer to the end.
The searchers have emphasized that the 96-hour window is only an estimate put forward by the company, OceanGate Expeditions. Multiple experts have spoken to the media in recent days about how the crew could prolong their survival beyond that window.
“I want to emphasize — even if they lose consciousness, it doesn’t mean their medical condition is hopeless,” LeDez said. “We see critical events in hospitals all the time. Even if they lose consciousness from low body temperature and low levels of oxygen, it could still be survivable for some period of time that is difficult to estimate.”
Search continuing to grow
Three more ships arrived on scene early Thursday, including two that are carrying remotely operated vehicles with the ability to search the ocean floor.
The Horizon Arctic delivered an Odysseus 6K from Boston company Pelagic Research Services. The French ship l’Atalante also arrived at the wreckage site in the early hours and is deploying the Victor 6000. Both robots are able to dive as deep as 6,000 metres.
The Canadian Navy ship HMCS Glace Bay is also en route and expected to arrive by Thursday afternoon. The ship has a six-person hyperbaric decompression chamber on board, which could be of use if the crew is found alive.
There’s also a remotely operated vehicle en route from U.K. company Magellan, but it’s not expected to arrive until well after the crew’s survival window has expired.
The ROV can dive the full depth of the search area, having produced imaging of the Titanic in the past. According to the BBC, it won’t arrive for at least another 48 hours.
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