All five on board submersible have died with debris found 1,600ft from Titanic wreck

All five people who had been aboard the Titan submersible which went missing near the wreck of the Titanic have died.

In a statement Oceangate said: “We now believe that our CEO Stockton Rush, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding, and Paul-Henri Nargeolet, have sadly been lost.

“These men were true explorers who shared a distinct spirit of adventure, and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the world’s oceans. Our hearts are with these five souls and every member of their families during this tragic time. We grieve the loss of life and joy they brought to everyone they knew.”

The remains of the Titan were found 1,600ft from the wreck of the Titanic.

The five who lost their lives are father and son Shahzada and Suleman Dawood, Oceangate CEO Stockton Rush, Paul-Henri Nargeolet and Hamish Harding.

A huge search operation which began earlier this week has ended in tragedy.

We will have all the updates this evening.

Goodnight from our live Titan blog

Thursday 22 June 2023 22:08 , Anthony France

That’s it from the Titan blog for tonight. Our news teams will be back first thing on Friday.

Pakistan pays tribute to London-based businessman Shahzada Dawood and his teenage son

Thursday 22 June 2023 21:12 , Anthony France

Pakistan’s foreign ministry has paid tribute to the Dawood family after it was confirmed UK-based businessman Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son Suleman are believed to have died on board the Titan submersible.

A statement on Twitter said: “Our deepest condolences to the Dawood family and the family of other passengers on the sad news about the fate of Titanic (sic) submersible in the North Atlantic.

“We appreciate the multinational efforts over the last several days in search of the vessel.”

Titan loss will ‘inspire us in the name of science and exploration’

Thursday 22 June 2023 21:08 , Anthony France

Richard Garriott, president of the New York-based Explorers Club, sends his deepest condolences for the loss of the Titan sub, adding: “Our hearts are broken. Their memories will be a blessing and will continue to inspire us in the name of science and exploration.”

US Coast Guard: We had right gear on site to find them if they’d been alive

Thursday 22 June 2023 20:51 , Anthony France

Addressing whether the US Coast Guard had the necessary equipment to locate the missing Titan, Rear Admiral John Mauger said: “We had the right gear to find them”.

“We were able to mobilise an immense amount of gear to the site in just a really remarkable amount of time given the fact that we started without any sort of vessel response plan for this,” he added.

“We’ve really had the right gear on site and worked as swiftly as possible to bring all of the capabilities we had to bear to this search and rescue effort.”

US Coast Guard: Five ‘major pieces’ of debris from the Titan sub recovered

Thursday 22 June 2023 20:35 , Anthony France

Five “major pieces” of debris from the Titan submersible have been recovered, the US Coast Guard said.

A spokesman said: “We found five different major pieces of debris that told us that it was the remains of the Titan.

“The initial thing we found was the nose cone, which was outside of the pressure hull.

“We then found a large debris field, within that debris field we found the front-end bell of the pressure hull. That was the first indication that there was a catastrophic event.

“Shortly thereafter we found a second smaller debris field. Within that debris field we found the other end of the pressure hull.

“We continue to map out the debris field, and as the admiral said, we will do the best we can to fully map out what’s down there.”

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly says deaths ‘tragic'

Thursday 22 June 2023 20:33 , Anthony France

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has described the suspected deaths of the pilot and four passengers on the missing Titan submersible as “tragic”.

He tweeted: “Tragic news that those on the Titan submersible, including three British citizens, have been lost following an international search operation.

“The UK Government is closely supporting the families affected and expresses our deepest condolences.”

Titan implosion early into expedition to Titanic wreck, US Coast Guard suggests

Thursday 22 June 2023 20:30 , Anthony France

Read Admiral Mauger tells reporters it is too early to tell what the timing of the implosion but suggests it happened early on in the expedition.

He said the US Coast Guard had sonar buoys out in the water for 72 hours.

Since in place, none detected “any catastrophic events”.

Sounds heard on the ocean floor, reported yesterday, did not appear connected to the Titan, he told reporters.

Rear Admiral Mauger said there are nine vessels on the scene but although the search continues, personnel will be demobilise soon.

“We have medical personnel on the scene, we have other technicians on scene, and we will begin to demobilise personnel and vessels from the scene over the course of the next 24 hours,” he adds.

“This is an incredibly difficult and dangerous environment to work in.”

Bodies of five crew may not be recovered, says US Coast Guard

Thursday 22 June 2023 20:14 , Anthony France

Rear Admiral Mauger says he cannot confirm whether the US Coast Guard will be able to recover the bodies of the five passengers on board the Titan sub.

He told reporters: “This is an incredibly unforgiving environment.”

Titan discovery might offer families ‘some solace during this difficult time’

Thursday 22 June 2023 20:11 , Anthony France

Rear Admiral John Mauger said that he offered his “deepest condolences” to the families of the five people on board Titan, adding that he hoped the discovery of debris from the craft offered them “some solace during this difficult time.”

‘Catastrophic loss’ of Titan’s pressure chamber likely cause

Thursday 22 June 2023 20:08 , Anthony France

The tail cone of the missing Titan submersible has been found close to the wreck of the Titanic, Rear Admiral John Mauger of the US Coast Guard said, adding the debris discovered was “consistent with a catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber”.

Remains of Titan sub found 1,600 ft from Titanic wreck

Thursday 22 June 2023 20:04 , Anthony France

A press conference with the latest official updates has heard the Titan submersible was found 1,600 ft from the wreckage of the Titanic.

All five crew on Titan submersible are dead, OceanGate said in a statement

Thursday 22 June 2023 19:54 , Anthony France

Here’s the full statement from OceanGate:

“We now believe that our CEO Stockton Rush, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding, and Paul-Henri Nargeolet, have sadly been lost.

“These men were true explorers who shared a distinct spirit of adventure, and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the world’s oceans. Our hearts are with these five souls and every member of their families during this tragic time. We grieve the loss of life and joy they brought to everyone they knew.

“This is an extremely sad time for our dedicated employees who are exhausted and grieving deeply over this loss. The entire OceanGate family is deeply grateful for the countless men and women from multiple organizations of the international community who expedited wide-ranging resources and have worked so very hard on this mission.

“We appreciate their commitment to finding these five explorers, and their days and nights of tireless work in support of our crew and their families.

“This is a very sad time for the entire explorer community, and for each of the family members of those lost at sea.

“We respectfully ask that the privacy of these families be respected during this most painful time.”

‘Death would have been instantaneous’ if Titan sub imploded

Thursday 22 June 2023 19:47 , Anthony France

A former US Navy physician has said if the missing Titan sub imploded passengers on board would have died instantly.

Dale Mole was responding to a claim by UK-based marine scientist David Mearns who was told the landing frame and cover have been found in the search for the vessel.

Mr Mole said this was “indicative of an implosion” adding to the BBC: “Death would have been instantaneous”.

Though this outcome would be tragic, Mr Mole said that being stranded inside would have been a far worse alternative for the Titan crew.

“You can just imagine what it would have been like... it’s cold, your oxygen is running out.

“If we can’t have them back, this is the best possible scenario.”

Landing frame and a rear cover from the submersible among Titan debris

Thursday 22 June 2023 18:30 , Anthony France

Diving expert David Mearns, a friend of passengers aboard the Titan, told the BBC and Sky News “a landing frame and a rear cover from the submersible” has been found.

Titan craft co-founder says there may have been an ‘instantaneous implosion'

Thursday 22 June 2023 18:12 , Anthony France

OceanGate’s co-founder said there may have been an “instantaneous implosion” of the Titan craft.

Guillermo Söhnlein, who set up the firm with missing submersible pilot Stockton Rush, was being interviewed by BBC News when a development broke about debris in Atlantic.

He said he would not be surprised if there was something on the surface.

Söhnlein said: “I know that our protocol for lost comms is for the pilot to surface the sub. From the beginning I always thought that’s probably what Stockton would have done.

"In which case it becomes very difficult to find the sub because the surface ship wouldn’t have known it was coming up and wouldn’t have known where to look.

"My biggest fear through this whole thing watching the operations unfold is that they’re floating around on the surface and they’re just very difficult to find.”

Söhnlein said there was a possibility of a catastrophe, adding: “What I do know is regardless of the sub, when you’re operating at depth the pressure is so great on any sub that if there is a failure it would be an instantaneous implosion. If that’s what happened that’s what would have happened four days ago.”

Söhnlein, who departed OceanGate 10 years ago, said he would not have acted differently if still at the firm.

RAF plane arrives in US search for Titan, reports

Thursday 22 June 2023 17:41 , Anthony France

A Royal Air Force plane has arrived at St John’s International Airport after it received a request for assistance in the hunt for the missing Titan submersible.

The PA news agency understands a further two planes are expected to arrive at the Canadian airport from the UK on Thursday.

Pakistan’s government following developments in search for Titan

Thursday 22 June 2023 17:36 , Anthony France

A spokesperson for Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry says the country’s diplomats in the United States and Canada are following developments in the search for the Titan.

Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son, Suleman, are among the five people aboard the submersible that went missing on Sunday as it descended to the wreckage of the Titanic.

“We have confidence that this matter will be pursued effectively by the local authorities,” ministry spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said Thursday at a news conference in Islamabad.

It was the first comment by any Pakistani official since the submersible vanished.

“We would not like to speculate on the circumstances of this incident and we would also like to respect the wishes of the Dawood family that their privacy may be respected,” she said.

The Dawoods are members of one of the country’s most prominent families.

The family’s company, Dawood Hercules Corp, based in Karachi, is involved in agriculture, petrochemicals, telecommunication infrastructure and other ventures.

British help on the way, says RAF

Thursday 22 June 2023 17:28 , Anthony France

Assistance from the Royal Air Force is due to arrive in St John’s on Thursday after it confirmed a request was received overnight for help with movement of additional commercial equipment.

Two RAF planes, a C-17 Globemaster and A400 Atlas, departed RAF Lossiemouth in north-east Scotland on Thursday.

A British submariner and equipment from a UK firm has been sent to help the search at the request of the US Coastguard, Downing Street said.

Royal Navy submariner Lieutenant Commander Richard Kantharia, who was on exchange with the US Navy, has been seconded to the search and rescue team.

The US Coast Guard give no details whether debris belongs to the Titan

Thursday 22 June 2023 17:18 , Anthony France

The Coast Guard’s post on Twitter gave no details, such as whether officials believe the debris is connected to the Titan, which was on an expedition to view the wreckage of the Titanic.

The search passed the critical 96-hour mark Thursday when breathable air could have run out.

Debris found on sea floor

Thursday 22 June 2023 17:03 , Tom Davidson

The US Coast Guard said a remotely-operated vehicle from the Canadian Horizon Arctic ship found debris on the sea floor near the Titanic wreckage.

Rear Admiral John Mauger, First Coast Guard District commander, and Captain Jamie Frederick, First Coast Guard District response coordinator, will lead the 8pm press conference.

Press conference in roughly three hours

Thursday 22 June 2023 16:59 , Tom Davidson

The US Coast Guard will give a news briefing on the search and rescue operation for Titan at 3pm local time - which is 8pm UK time.

They said experts were “evaluating the information” after debris was discovered by a remotely operated vehicle.

The Coast Guard had said earlier on Thursday that it is still treating the mission as an “active search and rescue”.

‘Debris field’ found - US Coast Guard

Thursday 22 June 2023 16:53 , Tom Davidson

A “debris field” has been discovered within the search area for missing submersible Titan by a remotely-operated vehicle near the wreckage of the Titanic, the US Coast Guard said.

Search continues despite oxygen deadline passing

Thursday 22 June 2023 16:14 , Tom Davidson

Two Royal Air Force planes are being used to transfer equipment and personnel to St John’s in Canada to assist with the hunt for the missing Titan submersible.

Sources within the Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed the RAF received a request overnight for assistance with movement of additional commercial equipment.

The C-17 Globemaster and A400 Atlas aircraft departed RAF Lossiemouth in north-east Scotland on Thursday.

Squadron Leader Simon Philips said: “The RAF is always ready to support civilian authorities in emergency and humanitarian situations.

“We hope that the RAF contribution to the international rescue effort is of assistance.”

Challenges facing Titan searchers

Thursday 22 June 2023 15:17 , Barney Davis

Underwater mountains and valleys. Deep-sea water pressure. Weather conditions. And a search area twice the size of Connecticut – in waters 2 1/2 miles (4 kilometers) deep – with few clues about the Titan’s location.

While undersea search efforts are nothing new – a 2019 expedition found two lost Japanese aircraft carriers that went down in World War II’s historic Battle of Midway around the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands – looking for the 22-foot-long (6.7-meter) carbon-fiber vessel amid the vast ocean is far more difficult than finding a needle in a haystack.

Those Japanese aircraft carriers were exponentially larger than the Titan – and still they were lost for decades after the June 1942 air and sea battle.

“I’ve seen large vessels hiding within extreme geology so searching for smaller objects requires more detailed scrutiny as opposed to searching for a sunken (cruiser) or aircraft carrier,” wrote Robert Kraft, a deep-sea explorer who was part of the 2019 expedition, in an email to The Associated Press from aboard his latest voyage.

Titanic sub search: Who are the five passengers on board the missing Titan submarine?

Thursday 22 June 2023 14:54 , Barney Davis

Rescuers continue to hunt for the missing OceanScape vessel

Who are the five passengers on board the missing Titanic submarine?

Magellan still in Channel Islands port will take until weekend for ROV to reach site

Thursday 22 June 2023 14:20 , Barney Davis

A British rescue ship is still loading equipment at port with its ROV could take until the weekend to reach the Titanic wreck.

The BBC is reporting that Magellan’s ROV - Juliet - is currently at Jersey Airport in the Channel Islands, and will soon be on its way to the search site taken by a US military transport aircraft.

It came after Explorer’s club president Richard Garriott tweeted that the ROV should have been accepted sooner.

Admiral confirms there investigation into what led Titan to vanish

Thursday 22 June 2023 13:55 , Barney Davis

Rear Admiral John Mauger told Sky News: “There’s going to be a time and place for a thorough investigation.

“I don’t know what that looks like right now. The focus of the unified command is on the search and rescue, and so we’re going to continue to use all those assets that we have on scene and really focus on locating the submersible and the people on board.”

When asked about a look at the safety of the deep-sea vessel in the future, he confirmed the priority right now is the search-and-rescue operation of Titan and its crew.

Sounds heard from Atlantic deep ‘background noise'

Thursday 22 June 2023 13:52 , Barney Davis

Rear Admiral John Mauger confirmed the initial reports suggesting the noise heard by sonar buoys was “background ocean noise”.

He told Sky News: “We’ve taken that information and shared it with top leading experts from the US Navy and the Canadian Navy, and they’re working on the analysis of that information, they’re continuing to work on the analysis of that information.

“The initial reports is that there’s a lot of the sounds that were generated were from background ocean noise, but they continue to … look for all available information there.

“What’s important to me, and what’s important as the unified command, is that we’ve continued search in the areas where noise was detected with the ROVs that we have from the time of that detection, so we’re not waiting for this analysis to take action.

“The analysis is really helpful to our overall search-and-rescue efforts, but we’re not waiting on it, we’ve moved the remote operated vehicles that we’ve had on site to those areas where noise was detected.”

He added any decision to stop the rescue effort will be taken after “thorough consultation” with the families of those who are on board.

“It’s been an incredibly complex effort"

Thursday 22 June 2023 13:39 , Tom Davidson

Rear Admiral John Mauger confirmed the US Coast Guard is in contact with the Channel Islands-based company Magellan on how they can assist with the search after an ROV reached the sea floor.

He said: “It’s been an incredibly complex effort and we’ve brought together the world’s leading experts and equipment to the site, and so we remain hopeful at this point, and we continue with the search-and-rescue efforts. Our focus is on using the capability that we have now on site to locate the people and submersible.”

He added: “During the initial response we received, we’re grateful for all of the support and offers of assistance.

“We’ve mobilised to move the Magellan on site and onto the scene, and we’re actively working that logistics plan right now, but the most important thing is that we have remote operated vehicles that are highly capable that are operating on the sea floor that have sensors and the ability to conduct a rescue.

“In addition, we have brought a medical team out to the site with a hyperbaric chamber, so our focus as a unified command is bringing on the expertise and bringing on the capability to the maximum extent to effect a search and rescue, and we’re going to continue that effort.”

“Conditions for the search and rescue are favourable right now"

Thursday 22 June 2023 13:28 , Tom Davidson

Rear Admiral John Mauger of the US Coast Guard said the weather is favourable and they have the capabilities to both search for and rescue the missing submersible.

He told Sky News: “Conditions for the search and rescue are favourable right now and so we’re making the most of this weather window and the good conditions.

“We have aircraft still flying overhead looking for any indications of the submersible on the surface.

“But our focus right now is on the sub-sea search with the new capabilities that we have brought on line.

“We have remote operated vehicles that are working along the path line where the planned dive had taken place for the Titan submersible and we have the ability to both search and rescue.”

Current situation as “bleak” while the search-and-rescue operation continues

Thursday 22 June 2023 12:43 , Tom Davidson

Former Royal Navy submarine captain Ryan Ramsey described the current situation as “bleak” while the search-and-rescue operation continues for Titan after oxygen is thought to have run out aboard the submersible.

He told the PA news agency: “The outlook is bleak, that’s the only word for it, as this tragic event unfolds and almost the closing stages of where this changes from rescue to a salvage mission.

“That doesn’t mean to say that the current ships and forces deployed won’t continue to keep looking.

“They won’t stop for many days, I imagine, but the reality is if you base it off oxygen alone, then they’re out of oxygen.

“Carbon dioxide is also a critical element to it as well as the cold. It would be a miracle if there were survivors from it.”

Lieutenant Commander part of the Titan rescue efforts “as long as is required”.

Thursday 22 June 2023 12:34 , Tom Davidson

Downing Street said Lieutenant Commander Richard Kantharia would be part of the Titan rescue efforts “as long as is required”.

The experienced submariner is understood to have joined the US Coastguard mission on Tuesday evening in the US.

A spokesman for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, asked whether the request for UK assistance should have come sooner, said: “We’ve always said we stand ready to provide any assistance required and that continues to be the case.

“The search and rescue efforts continue and we will look to support that in any way we can.”

Asked how long Lt Cmdr Kantharia would be “embedded” with the rescue efforts, the spokesman replied: “As long as is required.”

The No 10 official, asked whether Mr Sunak planned to speak to the families of the British people onboard the missing Titanic submersible, said the Prime Minister’s “thoughts remain with” them and that the Foreign Office is in “constant contact” with those affected.

Predicted oxygen levels deadline on Titan sub has passed

Thursday 22 June 2023 12:18 , Barney Davis

The US Coast Guard predicted yesterday that the supply of breathable air in the submersible Titan would run out at 12.08pm UK time today.

The deadline is only an estimate and depends on conditions onboard.

Former Royal Navy submarine captain Ryan Ramsey said one problem may also be the levels of carbon dioxide.

He said: “For this particular mission, if they’re on the seabed at the moment they’re 4,000m down. The water temperature for down there is about 0C, they’ve got no electricity so they’re not generating any power which means they can’t generate heat.

“That’s the first element, they’re dealing with the cold, if they’re still there they’ve been there for three days. The second challenge is air.

“Everybody keeps talking about oxygen and how there’s only 20 hours left, maybe they could extend that by slowing down breathing rates but that becomes really difficult considering the stress they will be under in this particularly horrific situation.

US coastguard says French deep sea robot about to dive in last gasp attempt to locate missing Titan

Thursday 22 June 2023 12:08 , Barney Davis

A French robot that can dive to 20,000 feet (6,000 metres) underwater is on its way to help free the missing Titan sub if it is trapped, its operator said.

The unmanned robot, called Victor 6000, can dive deeper than other equipment now at the site in the North Atlantic and has arms that can be remotely controlled to cut cables or perform other manoeuvres to release a stuck vessel, the operator said.

“Victor is not capable of lifting the submarine up on its own,” said Olivier Lefort, the head of naval operations at Ifremer, the state-run French ocean research institute which operates the robot.

But he told Reuters the robot could help hook the 10-tonne submersible called Titan to a ship with the capacity to lift it to the surface.

Titan went missing with five people on board shortly after starting its descent on Sunday to the Titanic, the British ocean liner that sank in 1912 after hitting an iceberg. The wreck lies at a depth of about 12,500 feet (3,810 metres).

Pembroke May Ball apologises for ‘into the depths’ theme

Thursday 22 June 2023 11:55 , Barney Davis

A Cambridge college has apologised for hosting a ‘nautical’ themed ball as its alumni billionaire Hamish Harding runs out of air on the missing Titan submersible.

The May Ball committee “are aware of the worrying news” about Harding. The ‘Into the Depths’ theme “was chosen many months ago,” and the committee said that “if we could change it now, we would”.

They also said: “Our thoughts go out to the Harding family at this very difficult time”.

Pembroke May Ball, which took place last night has taken down its website and made its Instagram private.

It is reported that students at the event were entertained with nautical themed music including Celine Dion’s hit ‘My Heart Will Go On,’ from the film Titanic, while Harding and four others are trapped thousands of feet underwater.

It came after his step-son attended a Blink 182 gig while Mr Harding was missing.

‘Prepare ourselves for the worst’, former Navy officer’s stark warning

Thursday 22 June 2023 11:36 , Barney Davis

A retired rear admiral has spoken of the public to prepare for the worst if the rescue bid to bring Titan back to the surface fails.

Chris Parry told Sky News that the chances of survival for the 5-man crew at this point are “vanishingly small”.

The 6.7m (22ft)-long OceanGate Expeditions vessel is said to have had a 96-hour oxygen supply in case of emergencies.

He added: said: “I’m afraid to say that even if we were to find Titan now, the time it would take to get down there, secure them, bring them up... it’s vanishingly small in terms of the likelihood of survival.”

Research on Titanic wreck likely to stop ‘for a lifetime'

Thursday 22 June 2023 11:04 , Barney Davis

A scientific researcher has spoken of how deep-sea research on the Titanic is likely to be halted for a long time after the Titan went missing.

David Scott-Beddard, the CEO of Titanic exhibition company White Star Memories, told CNN that the tragedy has “without a doubt” had an impact on any future voyages to the wreck.

“The chances of any future research being carried out on the wreck of Titanic is extremely slim. Probably not in my lifetime.

“I imagine there will be an inquiry no doubt after this disaster, and much more stringent rules and regulations will be put in place,” he said.

Search pattern for Titan released by Coastguard

Thursday 22 June 2023 10:45 , Barney Davis

The coast guard have released an image of the full area being searched for the missing sub Titan.

The area is twice the size of the U.S. state of Connecticut in waters as deep as 13,200 feet (4,020 meters).

BBC analysis says the X is believed to mark the spot of the Titanic wreck.

Rob Larter at the British Antarctic Survey told the broadcaster: “There is no scale on it, which is not super helpful.”

“You will see there is a variety of different grids on there, some of them are denser than others. It is 2D as well, and remember we are in a 3D environment - we are not sure if this is from the surface or further down in the water.”

“I think that X shows you where the Titanic is, and it is interesting that the grids aren’t centred so the Titanic’s not in the middle.”

Captain Jamie Frederick of the First Coast Guard District said authorities were still holding out hope of saving the five passengers onboard.

The 5 rescue bouts scouring the Atlantic for Titan

Thursday 22 June 2023 10:33 , Barney Davis

The US coast guard had five surface vessels searching for Titan and all are expected there to be 10 by Thursday, Captain Jamie Frederick said at a press conference on Wednesday.

Asked whether the mission was changing to become a recovery search, he said: “This is a search-and-rescue mission 100%, we are smack dab in the middle of search and rescue and will continue to put every available asset that we have in an effort to find the Titan and the crew members.”

The recovery boats are:

• Motor Vessel Horizon Arctic: The Canadian 307-foot anchor handling vessel has a hangar for remotely operated vehicles (ROV) with a launch and recovery system. Sean Leet, co-founder and chairman of its owner, Horizon Maritime Services, said it has been loaded with an ROV supplied by the US military and is expected at the Titanic wreck site on Thursday.

• Research Vessel L’Atalante: This French, 279-foot multipurpose research vessel carries the Victor 6000, an ROV that can dive to almost 20,000 feet. (The Titanic wreck is at almost 13,000 feet.) Victor 6000 can perform tasks including video and acoustic search and inspection and has robotic arms that can manipulate objects, according to the ship’s operator, French Oceanographic Fleet.

• HMCS Glace Bay: A Canadian Navy 181-foot coastal defense vessel, it carries medical personnel and a mobile decompression chamber, which could be needed for any survivors brought up from the depth of the Titanic.

• Magellan ROV: A remotely operated vehicle from deep-sea mapping company Magellan, which operates submersibles that can reach more than 19,000 feet. Magellan, based in Guernsey in the British Isles, is best known for its imagery of the Titanic.

• CCGS John Cabot: The 207-foot Canadian Coast Guard offshore fishery science vessel carries “advanced deep sonar,” according to the Canadian Coast Guard. Sonar uses sound wave echoes to find objects or to map features in the ocean.

Full area being searched as officials fear there’s just hours’ worth of oxygen left on board the craft.

Thursday 22 June 2023 10:23 , Barney Davis

The full area being searched was twice the size of the U.S. state of Connecticut in waters as deep as 13,200 feet (4,020 meters). Captain Jamie Frederick of the First Coast Guard District said authorities were still holding out hope of saving the five passengers onboard.

The US Coast Guard predicts that the oxygen supply in the Titan submersible will run out at 12.08pm UK time on Thursday.

A spokeswoman for the coast guard confirmed the projection as 7.08am local time, as concerns continue for those inside the vessel.

According to OceanGate, Titan’s operator, the sub has a 96-hour oxygen supply in case of emergencies.

Explorers criticise time taken for their support to be accepted as valuable minutes tick away

Thursday 22 June 2023 09:18 , Barney Davis

In a statement, Richard Garriott de Cayeux, president of The Explorers Club, confirmed it is sending support to help with the search for Titan but criticised the time taken to get the support accepted.

Posting on Twitter, Mr Garriott de Cayeux wrote: “Thanks for all your support and hard work on the rescue operations for our friends aboard Titan.

“I believe we have importantly improved the odds of a positive outcome through our advice, volunteering of services and equipment, and even the political pressure we continue to bring to bear.

“All has been needed. All continues to be needed. Magellan is en route (should have been accepted sooner), we are still trying to get side scan sonar (should have been accepted sooner), and still working on ships to transport equipment and other details.

“We continue to come together for our friends, their families and the ideals of The Explorers Club, and the cause of safe scientific exploration of extreme environments.

“There is good cause for hope and we are making it more hopeful.”

Oxygen running low on Titan as rescue reaches critical stage

Thursday 22 June 2023 08:55 , Barney Davis

Levels of Oxygen will be running low on Titan with five people still trapped inside the cramped 21-foot submersible.

The Titan submersible begins each trip to explore the wreckage of the Titanic with an estimated 96 hours of life support and has been missing since Sunday morning, setting up Thursday morning as a key target for finding those on board.

With rudimentary controls and no room for its passengers to stretch out, the crew would have had “limited rations” of food and water, officials have said.

“We have to remain optimistic and hopeful,” Capt. Jamie Frederick, the response coordinator for the First Coast Guard District said during a news conference Wednesday.

It came as Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said his department was not “directly involved” in the efforts to find the missing Titanic submersible, adding that the UK was ready to provide consular assistance.

The Foreign Secretary told LBC: “Our High Commissioner in Canada stands ready to help and support on the consular side of things.

“This is a highly technical, highly difficult situation. Not one that my department is directly involved in, but of course we stand ready to support our friends around the world.”

‘He loved to tinker’ former OceanGate worker describes missing CEO Stockton Rush

Thursday 22 June 2023 08:38 , Barney Davis

An OceanGate subcontractor for the missing Titan says some of the design choices were considered “controversial” when it was built in 2018.

Doug Virnig worked on the project for about a year in an operations role, he told CNN.

He expressed admiration for OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, saying: “He would stop and talk and ask what we were doing, and he would move stuff around and... he loved to tinker.”

The company was working on making a submersible that could fit five people but still be lightweight deciding on carbon fibre.

Virnig said Titan’s pressure hull had passed tests which subjected it to the pressure found at the depth of the Titanic wreck — but the question was how it would perform over time.

French ship L’Atlante with crane that can scrape Ocean floor arrives at scene

Thursday 22 June 2023 08:17 , Barney Davis

L'Atlante a French boat part of a daring rescue fleet is moments away from arriving at the Titanic wreck scene, according to live satellite data.

The 279-foot multipurpose research vessel carries the Victor 6000, an ROV that can dive to almost 20,000 feet and is seen as one of the best hopes of returning Titan to the surface.

The Titanic wreck is at almost 13,000 feet.

Victor 6000 can perform tasks including video and acoustic search and inspection and has robotic arms that can manipulate objects, according to the ship’s operator, French Oceanographic Fleet.

Wife of missing OceanGate boss descendant of Titanic couple, it emerges

Thursday 22 June 2023 08:05 , Barney Davis

Wendy Rush, wife of Stockton Rush, the OceanGate boss missing on the Titan submersible is a direct descendant of a couple who died on the Titanic.

She is the great-great-granddaughter of Isidor and Ida Straus - two first-class passengers who were onboard the Titanic when it sank in 1912.

According to New York Times archives, Isidor’s body was recovered at sea around two weeks after the sinking. Ida’s remains were never found.

A fictionalised version of this scene was depicted in the 1997 film, showing a couple hugging each other in bed as water rises around them.

Deep-sea explorer Dr David Gallo believes it would take a “miracle” to rescue those trapped in Titan

Thursday 22 June 2023 07:43 , Barney Davis

Choosing to remain optimistic on the chances Titan will be found Dr Gallo told Good Morning Britain: “Maybe two days ago my hope was sliding downward rapidly, but then these noises appeared and there seems to be very credible sources there, credible and repeatable.

“We’ll see how that pans out but everything is happening very quickly, so we have a race against time.

“Our hopes are high. We need a miracle at this point, but miracles do happen, so I’m very optimistic.”