Global Courant
Titanic Missing Latest News: Ocean Gate Submarine Still Wanted
Less than 24 hours to find five people lost aboard the tourist submarine Titanic
US Coast Guard says it has detected underwater noises in the search area (see post at top of live blog below)
Reports in the US claim to hear ‘thumping’ noise at 30 minute intervals
President of Explorers’ Club, founded by missing British explorer Hamish Harding, says: “There is reason to hope”
Nightly report claims “safety and quality control” issues were raised about the missing submarine in 2018 court documents (see ‘Security fears’ below)
Harding is one of five missing, including British Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman
The others are French submarine pilot Paul-Henri Nargeolet and OceanGate Expeditions CEO Stockton Rush.
The submarine had about 96 hours of emergency oxygen on board, enough for Thursday morning
Missing submarine: Read more
Security Concerns Raised About Missing Submarine
Rescue teams race against the breathing air bell after sounds were detected from the search area for the missing deep-sea vessel near the Titanic wreck.
The submarine, dubbed Titan, lost communication with tour operators on Sunday while en route to the shipwreck off the coast of Canada about 700 kilometers south of St. John’s, Newfoundland.
The Titan has five people on board, including British billionaire adventurer Hamish Harding, and the 6.7-meter OceanGate Expeditions ship may have only 24 hours of oxygen left.
Story continues
The others on board are Shahzada Dawood, his son Suleman and OceanGate’s CEO and founder Stockton Rush, reportedly along with French submarine pilot Paul-Henry Nargeolet.
The US Coast Guard said Wednesday morning: “Canadian P-3 aircraft have detected underwater noises in the search area. As a result, remote operating vehicle (ROV) operations were relocated in an effort to investigate the origin of the noises.
“Those ROV searches have returned negative results, but they continue.
“In addition, the data from the P-3 aircraft has been shared with our US Navy experts for further analysis that will be considered in future search plans.”
The P-3 submarine chaser is described by its manufacturer, Lockheed Martin, as “the ultimate maritime patrol aircraft” and was used in the Cuban Missile Crisis, Hurricane Katrina and the US BP Horizon oil rig disaster.
The Explorers’ Club, of which Mr Harding is a founding member, shared an optimistic message on Wednesday morning.
President Richard Garriot de Cayeux said in a statement: “There is reason to hope that, based on data from the field, we understand that signs of life have likely been detected at the site.
“They understand exactly the experienced staff and technology we can help deploy… We believe they are doing the best they can with all the resources they have.”
Mr Garriot de Cayeux said they are ready to supply the UK-based Magellan’s remote-controlled vehicle (ROV) certified to travel up to 6,000 meters deep.
In a statement on their website, deep water specialists Magellan said they were contacted by OceanGate on Monday and offered “immediate” knowledge of the location and expertise in operating at depth.
The company added that it has been working with agencies in the UK and US to move its specialist equipment and support crew to St John’s, Newfoundland, following OceanGate’s instructions to mobilize.
“Magellan is 100% focused on supporting the rescue mission to recover the submarine,” the organization said.
Meanwhile, the US media outlet The Rolling Stone reported in an internal memo from the US government that “bangs” were detected by Canadian search aircraft at 30-minute intervals on Wednesday.
Chris Brown, an explorer and friend of Mr Harding, told BBC Breakfast that making “bang noises” is “exactly something I expected Hamish to come up with”.
Retired British Navy Vice Admiral Chris Parry said without a “broadcast signal” from the deep-sea vessel near the Titanic wreck, it will be “impossible” to find it within the timescale.
It is clear that the King is being kept informed of the search efforts, as Shahzada Dawood has long been a supporter of The Prince’s Trust International and The British Asian Trust, charities founded by Charles.
A former OceanGate employee had raised concerns about “safety and quality control issues related to the Titan to OceanGate’s executive management,” according to court filings.
David Lochridge, OceanGate’s former director of maritime operations, claimed in the August 2018 court document that he was unfairly fired after raising concerns about the company’s alleged “refusal to conduct critical, non-destructive testing of the experimental design to feed”.
After “quality control issues” were raised with Titan, the documents say Mr Rush asked Mr Lochridge to conduct a “quality inspection” report on the ship.
During this process, Mr. Lochridge had “numerous problems that posed serious security risks”, but he was reportedly “met with hostility and denial of access” to necessary documents before he was later fired.
The document claims he was concerned about a “lack of non-destructive testing performed on the Titan’s hull”, and that he “emphasized the potential danger to passengers from the Titan when the submarine reached extreme depths”.
On a November 2022 episode of his Unsung Science podcast, CBS journalist David Pogue interviewed Mr. Rush before going on a Titan expedition to the wreck.
In the podcast, Mr. Rush told him, “You know, at some point, security is pure waste.
“I mean, if you just want to be safe, don’t get out of bed, don’t get in your car, don’t do anything.
“At some point you’re going to take some risk, and it’s really a matter of risk and reward.
“I think I can do this just as safely by breaking the rules.”
Mr Pogue said he had signed a waiver before embarking on the dive, which reportedly stated: “The experimental submersible craft has not been approved or certified by any regulatory body” and that the journey could result in death.
OceanGate has been approached for comment.
On Tuesday, David Mearns, a deep-sea shipwreck hunter who is friends with Mr Harding and Mr Nargeolet, said he had seen reports of “ticks” being heard in the water, which he said could indicate that the passengers were still in be life.
He told Channel 4 News: “There are some reports I’ve just read from my own club, and that’s how I know Hamish, that someone heard some wiretapping today.
