Titanic Underwater Search - Live: Oxygen supply dwindles rapidly as ship with rescue robot approaches scene:
The US Coast Guard said the search for the missing Titan submersible is continuing in an area where noises have been picked up by sonar. Oxygen on board the ship carrying five people is expected to run out at 12.08pm UK time today.
The French research vessel L'Atalante arrived this morning. It has a robot on board called the Victor 6000, which can help cut cables or perform maneuvers to help free a stranded ship, but is unable to lift itself.
Another ship arriving this morning is the Horizon Arctic.
It is believed to have a Flyaway Deep Ocean Salvage System (FADOSS) on board. It's a winch and cable long enough to pull something like a submersible to the surface
Other arrivals later this morning include two Canadian Coast Guard vessels, according to data from boat tracking website MarineTraffic.com.
Here are the boats involved in the rescue:
polar prince
deep energy
atlantic merlin
Skandi Vinland
CGS John Cabot
CGS Ann Harvey
CGS Terry Fox
arctic horizon
Her Majesty's Canadian Ship Glace Bay (mobile decompression chamber and medical personnel)
French research vessel L'Atalante
OceanGate CEO's wife is descendant of Titanic passengers
Wendy Rush, the wife of CEO and OceanGate founder Stockton Rush, is a descendant of two first-class Titanic passengers who died when the liner sank in 1912, according to their marriage announcement in The New York Times.
Mr. Rush is aboard the submersible Titan and is said to have piloted the missing ship.
His wife is a great-great-granddaughter of businessman Isidor Straus and his wife Ida - who were said to be two of the wealthiest passengers aboard the Titanic.
Mr. Straus, born in 1845, co-owned Macy's department store with his brother Nathan.
His body was reportedly found at sea about two weeks after the Titanic sank. His wife's body was never found.
Titan "should have come to the surface," says the researcher
More on this interview with American explorer Josh Gates, who said redundancy measures, including weight-loss systems on Titan, meant he "should have come back to the surface."
He told Sky News that the fact that he did not appear to have resurfaced despite being "way off the ground" at the time the contact was lost raises questions about what could have gone wrong.
One such possibility is hull failure, which "is a testament to Titan's carbon fiber design," Gates said.
However, he added that although the bailout phase is coming to an end, we "must remain confident".
"We have a young man on board this submarine and all these new forces are now rushing to the North Atlantic to help with this research...we have to hope for a positive outcome here."
Former Titan passenger 'couldn't get on with the design'
A former passenger on one of Titan's maiden voyages said he ultimately "decided to exit the Titanic diving project" because he "couldn't get comfortable with the design."
Speaking to Sky News, US explorer Josh Gates described how system failures occurred when he was on a submersible on a "simulation dive" in 2021.
“I would say that some of the systems on board worked very well. Some of them didn't work well at all. We had problems with the engines, we had problems with the computer controls on board," he said.
Mr Gates said that while problems are not uncommon on test dives, he "ultimately decided to walk away from the project" as he "couldn't be happy with the design of Titan".
"There was so little data on how to manage that risk and what it looked like when that sub went up and down as often as it was supposed to."
The researcher and presenter said assessing the risk of titanium is "difficult" because "there is almost nothing to compare it to".
“A fresh and innovative design holds many secrets about how it will perform over time,” he said.
Mr Gates also addressed some online criticism of passengers for boarding the test ship at high cost, saying there had been "lots of insensitive comments".
He said the Titanic "has fascinated the world" since its sinking a century ago and that the sinking had "a real fascination for people".
"It takes a lot of courage and determination to embark on a journey like this," he said, adding that he "congratulates" the five men aboard Titan for their "passion and determination" to undertake the journey. Explorers Club president criticizes delay in accepting pick-up
The president of the Explorer's Club, whose members include missing passengers Hamish Harding and Paul-Henri Nargeolet, criticized a delay in his efforts to send technology to aid in the search.
Richard Garriott confirmed in a tweet that a remotely operated working vehicle (ROV) from Britain's Magellan was on its way to the wreckage of the Titanic - but said support 'should have been agreed sooner'.
Mr Garriott said he felt the club had "improved the chances of a successful outcome" through its "advice, volunteering of services and equipment".
"Magellan is on the way (should be agreed earlier), we are still trying to get side scan sonar (should be agreed earlier) and we will continue to work on ships to carry equipment and other details," wrote he.
The chairman said there was "good reason for hope" and that the club was making the rescue effort "more hopeful". Hiking on the high seas.
Saving passengers would be a "miracle," says Explorer
One deep-sea explorer said crews "needed a miracle" to rescue Titan's passengers - but he still has hope of their rescue.
dr David Gallo said his "hope is rapidly fading" when it was announced earlier this week that a Canadian plane had detected underwater noise.
"We'll see how it goes, but it's all happening very quickly so we're racing against time," he told Good Morning Britain.
“Our hopes are high. At this point we need a miracle, but miracles happen, so I'm very optimistic."
OceanGate CEO told a reporter that the most dangerous part of the mission was "being on a tugboat"
The managing director of operator Titan previously told a reporter that the most dangerous part of the trip to the Titanic was the first trip - not the dive itself.
Stockton Rush, who is aboard the missing submersible, told CBS News reporter David Pogue that he doesn't think the titanium is "very dangerous."
"What worries us is not if you are underwater. What worries me is getting you there when you are in freezing conditions on the ship with large doors that can crush you hands and people who might not have the best balance...that for me is the dangerous part,” Rush said.
He later told Mr Pogue that deep-water hazards could be avoided by going "slow and steady".
Mr Pogue, who sailed on the Titan last year, has previously said he was required to sign a disclaimer describing the ship as 'experimental' and admitting there is a risk of injury or dead.
