As experts examine underwater recordings of noises in the North Atlantic Ocean where a submersible with five people aboard went missing Sunday, the search for the vessel grew Wednesday. With oxygen supplies on board likely dwindling, time has become the biggest concern for rescuers.
The vessel was carrying a pilot, three wealthy adventurers and the submersible company’s CEO when it vanished Sunday morning about an hour and 45 minutes into its trek 12,500 feet deep, where the wreckage of the Titanic rests. The sub’s 96-hour emergency air supply could run out soon, setting up Thursday morning as an important search target.
It remains unclear whether the noises were heard Tuesday night and Wednesday morning were from the missing submersible, US Coast Guard Capt. Jamie Frederick said at a midday news conference. The banging on Tuesday first came every 30 minutes and was heard again four hours later, according to an internal government memo update on the search obtained by CNN.
“I can’t tell you what the noises are,” Frederick said, but he stressed that the operation was still a “search and rescue mission, 100%.”
If the craft is in the deep ocean, staying warm and lucid are the biggest struggles the five passengers of the Titan submersible may be facing now.
“They’re freezing cold. The water entirely surrounding the ship is at freezing or slightly below,” retired Navy Capt. David Marquet told CNN. “When they exhale, their breath condenses. There’s frost on the inside of the parts of the submarine. They’re all huddled together trying to conserve their body heat. They’re running low on oxygen and they’re exhaling carbon dioxide.”
Oceanographer and water search expert David Gallo told CNN his friend, passenger Paul-Henri Nargeolet, is a very experienced diver.
“He would understand the importance of conserving air as much as possible. He would try to get everyone to stay incredibly calm. I think working with that is the hypothermia… It is incredibly cold. So that might slow things down as well.
The Coast Guard on Wednesday night said more craft to help in the search are on their way, including three remotely operated vehicles and one ship with decompression chambers.
