A rescue operation was underway deep in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean on Monday in search of a technologically advanced submersible vessel carrying five people to document the wreckage of the Titanic, the iconic ocean liner that sank more than a century ago.
The vessel was reported overdue Sunday night about 435 miles (700 kilometres) south of St. John’s, Newfoundland, according to Canada’s Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Lt. Cmdr. Len Hickey said a Canadian Coast Guard vessel and military aircraft were assisting the search effort, which was being led by the U.S. Coast Guard in Boston.
For most problems, one might expect the pilot to jettison the ballast and surface. That they haven't suggests that something bad has happened. If that submersible is stuck at the bottom, I don't hold much hope for it being freed in time, as they have about sixty hours to get something on scene and then descend down 2-1/2 miles to find the craft, fix whatever is wrong and get it back up to the surface.
Other than having gravity, the deep ocean may be more hostile to humans than Earth orbit.
9 comments:
Sixty might be a generous estimate. Have no idea about possible mitigating factors such as supply oxygen.
Actually the CO2 scrubbers because adding O2 when the CO2
is high you still go lights out.
No matter what, the time is finite and the location and
cause is still unknown.
fair thee well intrepid sailor...
Eck!
Gravity: can't orbit without it
According to BBC the submersible has seven methods of floating itself in case of emergency. That it apparently hasn't suggests something has it snagged if not a structural failure. One might ponder about the ability to get a ship with a 2-1/2 mile cable to the scene in time. Not good.
I can't see how the pilot would be so stupid as to go close enough to the wreck to snag something. But with a billionaire as a passenger ("I'll give you a 100% tip to get closer", maybe), anything is posible.
I read that it takes 2 and a half hours for it to descend to the Titanic. They lost contact at an hour and 45 minutes. Sounds doubtful they even made it to the Titanic to get stuck on it. I just hope it was quick.
w3ski
Moby Dick? Jules Verne's giant squid? Something out of Jurassic Park ?
A leak at the depth of the Titanic will be at over 5,000 psi. If it sprang a leak, that was not survivable.
If it's sunk and on the floor of the ocean, that's going to be another grave site. Sonobuoys are not going to pick up shit. A magnetic anomaly detector isn't going to find it, not at those depths. Unless it went down on or close to the wreck itself, finding it's going to be a matter of luck.
MAD wouldn’t work 5 feet underwater…two titanium hemispheres connected by a carbon fiber cylinder. Not enough in there to detect.
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