Missing Titanic Vessel: How Is Submersible Different From a Submarine?

A search and rescue operation has been launched to locate a submersible carrying five people that has lost contact near the site of the Titanic wreckage. Contact with the Titan submersible was lost about an hour and 45 minutes into its journey to the Titanic shipwreck, as per the US Coast Guard.

The carbon-fibre submersible named the Titan, part of a mission by OceanGate Expeditions, carried a pilot, a renowned British adventurer, two members of an iconic Pakistani business family and another passenger.

What is Titan submersible?

According to the official website of OceanGate, Titan is a Cyclops-class manned submersible designed to take five people to depths of 4,000 meters (13,123 feet) for site survey and inspection, research and data collection, film and media production, and deep sea testing of hardware and software. Titan is lighter in weight 10,432 kg (23,000 lbs) and more cost efficient to mobilize than any other deep diving submersible.

OceanGate recently shared a tweet stating, "Without any cell towers in the middle of the ocean, we are relying on @Starlink to provide the communications we require throughout this year's 2023 Titanic expedition."

Additionally, the submersible is equipped with a 96-hour bottled oxygen supply, although the duration may be influenced by the breathing rate of those on board, particularly if there are tourists with limited diving experience.

It must be noted that the company takes paying customers to see the Titanic at a price tag of USD 250,000 a spot.

Titan Specifications:

Depth: 4,000 meters (13,123 feet)
Capacity: 5 persons (1 pilot + 4 crew)
Pressure Vessel Material: Carbon Fiber and Titanium
Overall Dimensions: 670cm x 280cm x 250cm (22ft x 9.2ft x 8.3ft high)
Weight: 10,432 kg (23,000 lbs)
Payload: 685 kg (1,510 lbs)
Speed: 3 knots
Propulsion: Four Innerspace 1002 electric thrusters
Life Support: 96 hours for 5 crew
Integrated Technology: Sub C Imaging 4k Rayfin camera, Teledyne 2D sonar, 40,000 lumens of external light, 2G Robotics laser scanner, INS/USBL.

When and Where Did the Titan Go Missing?

The Titan, a submersible, embarked on its journey in Atlantic Ocean on Sunday morning but unfortunately lost contact with its support vessel, the Polar Prince, approximately one hour and 45 minutes later.

The Coast Guard said that there was one pilot and four mission specialists aboard. However, OceanGate's website suggests that the fifth person aboard may be a so-called content expert who guides the paying customers.

OceanGate said its focus was on those aboard and their families. "We are deeply thankful for the extensive assistance we have received from several government agencies and deep sea companies in our efforts to reestablish contact with the submersible," it said in a statement.

Who are the 5 Passengers Aboard the missing Titanic Sub?

Among the individuals on board the missing submersible, which embarked on an exploration of the Titanic wreckage, are a British billionaire with space travel experience, one of Pakistan's most affluent individuals, and a former commander from the French navy who spearheaded the initial expedition to the site of the ill-fated "unsinkable" vessel.

British businessman Hamish Harding, who lives in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, was one of the mission specialists, according to Action Aviation, a company for which Harding serves as chairman. Harding is a billionaire adventurer who holds three Guinness World Records, including the longest duration at full ocean depth by a crewed vessel. In March 2021, he and ocean explorer Victor Vescovo dived to the lowest depth of the Mariana Trench. In June 2022, he went into space on Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket.

Also on board were Pakistani nationals Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman, according to a family statement sent to the AP. The Dawoods belong to one of Pakistan's most prominent families. Their eponymous firm invests across the country in agriculture, industries and the health sector. Shahzada Dawood also is on the board of trustees for the California-based SETI Institute that searches for extraterrestrial intelligence.

Difference Between a Submersible and a Submarine

It's essential to understand the difference between a submersible and a submarine. The missing Titan was a submersible, not a submarine. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a submarine is capable of independent ocean launch from a port, whereas a submersible lacks the power to reach the port, the ocean floor, or return autonomously.

Instead, submersibles are deployed from support ships that transport them to the designated dive site, similarly to how a boat carries a scuba diver to an area in the ocean for exploration.

Why Finding and Rescuing Titanic Submersible Will Be So Difficult?

Experts said that rescuers face steep challenges. Alistair Greig, a professor of marine engineering at University College London, said submersibles typically have a drop weight, which is "a mass they can release in the case of an emergency to bring them up to the surface using buoyancy".

"If there was a power failure and/or communication failure, this might have happened, and the submersible would then be bobbing about on the surface waiting to be found," Greig said.

Another scenario is a leak in the pressure hull, in which case the prognosis is not good, he said.
"If it has gone down to the seabed and can't get back up under its own power, options are very limited," Greig said.

"While the submersible might still be intact, if it is beyond the continental shelf, there are very few vessels that can get that deep, and certainly not divers." Even if they could go that deep, he doubts they could attach to the hatch of OceanGate's submersible.