London June 20 2023: Coast Guard officials estimate there is “about 40 hours of breathable air left” in the missing submersible that went missing on its way to view wreckage from the Titanic.
The vessel lost contact 1 hour and 45 minutes into its dive Sunday, the US Coast Guard said. At that time, officials estimated it had 96 hours of life support.
“We know there’s about 40 hours of breathable air left based on that initial report,” Capt. Jamie Frederick, with the First Coast Guard District, said at a Tuesday news conference.
Weather conditions and fog complicated aerial search efforts Monday, the Coast Guard said, but conditions are expected to clear up as the search continues on Tuesday.
“Visibility was very foggy yesterday with very little to no visibility, but it was increasing today and they were expecting much better conditions from an aerial search perspective,” said Chief Petty Officer Robert Simpson, the assistant public affairs officer for the First Coast Guard District.
The Coast Guard has deployed several aircraft to search the surface of the water for the missing submersible. Canada also said it has mobilized planes to help.
Simpson said Coast Guard aircraft crews receive specialized training to be able to spot objects in the ocean in scenarios like this.
While a lot of the search for the missing submersible has been focused on the surface of the water, the team now has underwater search capability on scene, said US Coast Guard First District Commander Rear Adm. John Mauger.
The Canadian Air Craft, USCG aircraft and New York Air National Guard aircraft have been flying patterns roughly the size of Connecticut on the surface of the water, he told CNN.
Mauger said he met with unified command last night which includes the US Navy, Canadian Coast Guard and the Canadian Armed Forces as well as Ocean Gate expedition, the company that owns and runs the missing submersible.
Ocean Gate, having the most familiarity with the site, and knowing where their submersible was operating, is helping to set priorities, he added.
“Our thoughts, as we continue on with search, are with the crew members and their families right now,” Mauger said, adding that teams are working hard to “make sure that we can locate that submersible.”
The New York Air National Guard’s th6th Rescue Wing is assisting the US Coast Guard search and rescue operation for the missing Titanic submersible, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced in a statement Tuesday.
“The women and men of New York’s Air National Guard are always ready to lend a helping hand,” Hochul said. “I commend the members of the 106th Rescue Wing for their efforts to assist the U.S. Coast Guard in this search and rescue operation.”
The th th Rescue Wing, which is based at the F.S. Gabreski Air National Guard Base in Westhampton Beach on Long Island, launched an HC-130J Compat King search and rescue aircraft on Monday afternoon at the request of the Coast Guard, Hochul said in the statement.
The 13 air national guard members on board, including a team of pararescue jumpers, flew 900 miles out into the Atlantic Ocean and searched a designated area using forward-looking infrared radar and onboard observers, the statement said.
The plane returned to base early this morning, and the wing has been asked to assist in the search again this afternoon.
US military moving military and commercial assets to help submersible search efforts
The United States military is moving military and commercial assets to help in the ongoing search efforts for the missing submersible, according to the Coast Guard and US Transportation Command.
The Navy’s Supervisor of Salvage and Diving is working with US Transportation Command to bring “more capable assets” into the search, Capt. Jamie Frederick of the First Coast Guard District said Tuesday. The assets will be moved first to St. John’s in Canada and then taken to the search area.
The Navy command has advanced remotely operated dive vehicles capable of operating at the extreme depths required in this search effort.
“The Navy is working to coordinate assets with the USCG and the unified command. We will give you more details as we get assets and personnel in place,” according to a Navy spokesperson.
There will also be three flights from Buffalo, New York, to St. John’s today carrying commercial cargo that may be able to assist in the search and rescue efforts, a spokesman for TRANSCOM told CNN.
It is unclear at this time what assets or equipment are on the flights or to whom they belong.
“U.S. Transportation Command is coordinating authorized planning and support of DoD assistance and transport of assets in the location and recovery of a disabled commercial-owned manned submersible in the Atlantic Ocean,” a TRANSCOM spokesperson said in a statement.
