Why is searching for a missing submersible near the Titanic's body like `finding a needle in a haystack`? 0
(Dan Tri) – Experts say that searching for a missing submersible while exploring the Titanic’s wreck is a challenging task, as the search force faces increasing pressure on time.
Titan submersible (Photo: Reuters).
The Titan submersible carrying 5 tourists went missing on June 18 while on a journey to explore the wreck of the Titanic in the Atlantic Ocean, about 600km from Newfoundland, Canada.
The US and Canada activated a large-scale search and rescue operation but so far no trace of the submersible has been discovered.
The US Coast Guard at 11:00 a.m. on June 21 (local time) estimated that the remaining oxygen in the Titan submersible appeared to be only 20 hours.
`The big problem now is time. We know that at some point, oxygen will run out. But of course, running out of oxygen is not the only difficulty. When oxygen levels drop, you become
Experts say that if the submersible sinks to the bottom of the ocean, rescue will be almost impossible.
`It’s pitch black down there and freezing cold. The seabed is muddy and the terrain is undulating. You can’t even see your hand in front of your face (when on the seabed),` said Tim Maltin, an expert on the case.
Experts say that pulling a submersible from the seabed is also a difficult task as time is running out.
Currently, only a few submersibles can reach the depths of the Titanic’s wreck.
So, if the Titan has sunk to the bottom of the ocean, the search will literally be `finding a needle in a haystack`.
However, even in the scenario where the ship is bobbing on the ocean surface, finding it is equally challenging.
Efforts to find the Titan submersible face a series of challenges (Graphic: Al Jazeera).
The submersible is the size of a large truck (6.7m long and 2.8m wide).
In fact, the ship is very small compared to the vast ocean and if Titan only has enough oxygen for 20 hours, the search is clearly a race against time.
To detect the whereabouts of the submersible, the US and Canada sent a series of surface ships, combined with reconnaissance aircraft, as well as released reflected sonar buoys to search for signs of sounds that could be coming from the ship.
An underwater robot began a search in the area near the Titanic’s body.
According to experts, if Titan surfaced, the chances of survival of the five missing people would be much higher than if it sank to the bottom of the ocean.
