The man who headed up the Titanic expedition, which is now missing a submersible, has spoken out on the search efforts, admitting he is holding out little hope for its five passengers.
G. Michael Harris has stated that though he doesn’t wish to be considered a naysayer as the search for the missing Titan submersible continues he must be realistic, the New York Post reported.
“When you’re talking 6,000 pounds per square inch, it is a dangerous environment,” Harris stated of the hazards of deep sea diving, the outlet reported.
Titanic Expedition Leader G. Michael Harris on the missing sub:
“I’m trying to be somewhat cautious and don’t want to basically be the naysayer of what’s going on, but when you’re talking 6000 pounds per square inch, it is a dangerous environment.” pic.twitter.com/ObZL1vsznX
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) June 20, 2023
“More people have been to outer space than to this depth of the ocean. When you’re diving in these situations, you have to cross your t’s, dot your i’s. You have to do everything absolutely perfect and by the book,” Harris explained, adding that there was a possibility the submersible imploded. “Worst situation is something happened to the hull. Our fear is that it imploded at around 3,200 meters.” (RELATED: Lawsuit Claims Director Was Fired For Raising Concerns About Titanic Submarine Years Before It Went Missing)
Simon Boxall, a professor of oceanography at the University of Southampton, echoed Harris’ sentiments, telling Newsweek there were three possibilities pertaining to the reason the submersible hasn’t yet surfaced, the first of which is that the vessel has lost all mechanical capabilities. The second, Boxall argued, is that the submersible has become trapped somewhere.
“It could have snagged on an old fishing net on the seabed. It could have been on parts of the [Titanic] wreckage itself, they were going to look at the wreck after all. And of course, the unthinkable is that it’s not coming back up because it has imploded. That’s the unthinkable, but it’s one of the three options,” Boxall stated.
United States Coast Guard (USCG) Rear Admiral John Mauger agreed with Boxall’s theories, telling The Mirror it was possible the submersible was tangled up in the wreckage of the Titanic. If that were the case and even if the USCG could detect the submersible amid the wreckage, Mauger argued, there would be very little they could do as the Coast Guard isn’t equipped to perform deep sea rescues.
The search for the submersible continues in a race against time as experts have determined the vessel has less than two days of oxygen remaining.