Explorers Club members gathered today to ensure the Titanic Expedition Search and Rescue team is fully aware of the capabilities and experience that club members and affiliates are prepared to supply, in particular the UK-based 6,000 meter Magellan Certified ROVS, which have been to the Titanic site on several occasions. This extraordinary membership never ceases to amaze.
We are so grateful to the US Coast Guard and other international crews and commercial operators who are doing all they can to help find the Titanic Expedition submersible.
We are much more confident that: 1) There is reason for hope, based on the field data – we understand that probable signs of life have been detected at the site;
2) They precisely understand the experienced personnel and technology we can help deploy;
3) We believe they are doing their best with all the resources they have;
4) We now have direct lines to the highest levels of Congress, Coast Guard, Air Force, Navy, and the White House, thanks to your support.
The timing – or cause – of the hit is not revealed by the memo.
We are continuing to work on approval for the Magellan ROVS to be allowed to deploy on site as we believe they can provide invaluable assistance.
Our hearts go out to the family and friends of fellow Explorers Club members Hamish Harding and Paul-Henri Nargeolet, and the rest of the submersible’s crew as we hopefully await good news.
Individuals believed to have been trapped in the submarine include billionaire Hamish Harding, French explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, Shahzada Dawood (48) who is a board member of the UK-based charity Prince’s Trust, and his son Sulaiman Dawood (19).
According to an announcement from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Joint Rescue Coordination Center is working with partner organizations in their search for a remotely operated underwater vehicle that could potentially assist in the operation.
The ongoing search for the missing OceanGate submersible, named the Titan, continues after it lost communication with the main ship as it descended towards the wreckage on Sunday morning. Rear Admiral John Mauger, involved in coordinating the search, expressed the possibility that the submersible could be stuck, explaining that there is currently a lack of the necessary equipment on site to conduct a thorough survey of the seabed.
Mauger further noted the difficult conditions, with significant debris making it difficult to locate the submersible. Rear Admiral Chris Parry of the Royal Navy likened the depths of the Atlantic Ocean to the vastness of space, pointing to total darkness and the presence of mud and other choppy obstacles.
The searchlights provide limited visibility of only about 20 feet due to strong ocean currents pushing the search operation forward.