The Titan submarine, which went missing on Sunday while attempting to explore the Titanic wreck, has caused the entire globe to hold its breath while waiting for updates on the search.
According to sources, the crew’s oxygen supply will run out today (June 22), but every effort is being made to locate the ship before it’s too late.
Although the search area is enormous—some estimate it to be twice the size of Connecticut—and no word has come from the submersible since it lost contact just one hour and forty-five minutes into its dive, aircraft and underwater vehicles are still searching the area.
The fact that one team involved in the rescue operation has heard hammering every 30 minutes in the region where the submersible disappeared, however, may offer some glimmer of hope.
According to a Department of Homeland Security email that Rolling Stone reported:
“RCC Halifax launched a P8, Poseidon, which has underwater detection capabilities from the air.
“The P8 deployed sonobuoys, which reported a contact in a position close to the distress position. The P8 heard banging sounds in the area every 30 minutes. Four hours later additional sonar was deployed, and banging was still heard.”
We must emphasize that it is still unknown whether the banging is coming from the five crew members who are locked in Titan. A second email from CNN, though, seemed to fuel the confidence even further.
“Additional acoustic feedback was heard and will assist in vectoring surface assets and also indicating continued hope of survivors,” the email read.
The oxygen supply on the submersible is expected to run out on Thursday at 6:08 a.m. (7:08 a.m. ET). Additionally, it’s predicted that the return trip to the surface might take up to eight hours, so every minute counts in terms of overcoming the odds.
Hamish Harding, Stockton Rush, Paul-Henry Nargeolet, Shahzada Dawood, and his son Sulaiman have been named as the passengers on the submersible. The tour operator OceanGate, which took the visitors to the Titanic wreck, issued the following statement:
“Our entire focus is on the crewmembers in the submersible and their families.”
Our thoughts and prayers are with the five souls trapped onboard the Titan. Join us praying for a miracle.