Rescue teams, nagmamadali sa paghanap sa nawawalang submersible malapit sa Titanic wreck
(FILES) This handout image taken during the historical 1986 dive, courtesy of WHOI (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) and released February 15, 2023 shows the Titanic bow. A submersible vessel used to take tourists to see the wreckage of the Titanic in the North Atlantic has gone missing, triggering a search-and-rescue operation, the US Coast Guard said on June 19, 2023. It was not immediately known how many people are on the vessel, operated by a company called OceanGate Expeditions. “Yes, we’re searching for it,” said an official from the US Coast Guard Rescue Coordination Center in Boston. (Photo by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution / AFP) / AFP PHOTO / Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution / HANDOUT”
Nagkukumahog ang mga team ng coast guard ng US at Canada, sa paghahanap sa isang submersible vessel na may sakay na limang tao, kabilang ang isang bilyonaryong turista, na nawala matapos mag-dive sa lugar na kinaroroonan ng wreckage ng Titanic sa North Atlantic.
Ginamit ng kompanya ang isang submersible na may pangalang Titan para sa kanilang pag-dive sa maximum depth na 4,000 metro (13,100 talampakan).
Ayon sa mga awtoridad, ang 21-talampakan (6.5-metro) Titan na ino-operate ng OceanGate Expeditions, ay nagsimulang sumisid sa mga unang oras noong Linggo at nawalan na ng kontak wala pang dalawang oras pagkaraan.
Sinabi ng aviation company, na isa sa mga lulan nito ay ang bilyonaryong British businessman na si Hamish Harding, na nag-post sa social media tungkol sa pagsama niya sa ekspidisyon.
Ayon sa US Coast Guard, naglunsad ito ng isang sweeping search sa tinatayang 900 milya (1,450 kilometro) silangan ng Cape Cod, Massachusetts, habang sinabi naman ng Canadian Coast Guard na pinakilos na rin nito ang kanilang fixed wing aircraft at nagpadala ng isang barko sa search zone.
Sinabi ni US Coast Guard Rear Admiral John Mauger, “It is a challenge to conduct a search in that remote area, but we are deploying all available assets to make sure that we can locate the craft and rescue the people on board.”
Aniya, “Time is a critical factor. The vessel has a range of 96 hours for a crew of five, and I believe it still had 70 or more hours of remaining oxygen.”
Sa kanila namang website ay sinabi ng OceanGate Expedition, na ang dive expedition sa Titanic site ay “kasalukuyan nang isinasagawa.”
Sa isang pahayag ay tinuran ng OceanGate Expeditions, “Our entire focus is on the crewmembers in the submersible and their families.”
Noong Linggo ay ipinost ng 58-anyos na si Harding, na isang aviator, space tourist, at chairman ng Dubai-based Action Aviation sa kaniyang Instagram account na ipinagmamalaki niyang i-anunsiyong sa wakas ay kasama siya sa OceanGate Expedition para sa RMS TITANIC Mission nito bilang isang mission specialist sa isang sub na bababa sa kinaroroonan ng Titanic.
Ayon kay Harding, “A weather window has just opened up and we are going to attempt a dive tomorrow.”
Sa kanila namang post noong Linggo sa Twitter ay sinabi ng Action Aviation, “The sub had a successful launch and Hamish is currently diving.” Kasama sa post ang ilang mga larawan ni Harding at ng mission staff sa ocean surface.
Nag-post din si Harding kung saan sinabi nito, “The team on the sub has a couple of legendary explorers, some of which have done over 30 dives to the RMS Titanic since the 1980s.”
Ayon kay Chief Petty Officer Robert Simpson, ang US Coast Guard ay naglunsad ng dalawang C-130 planes upang mag-survey sa ibabaw ng karagatan, habang ang Canada naman ay nag-deploy ng aircraft na gumagamit ng sonar technology na may buoys.
Sinabi pa ni Simpson, “After the expected time of return for the submersible, the OceanGate ship ‘conducted an initial search and were unable to find anything or any sign of the submarine’ and they contacted the Coast Guard.”
Pahayag naman ng OceanGate, “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.”
Matatandaan na tumama ang Titanic sa isang iceberg at lumubog noong 1912, sa kauna-unahang biyahe nito mula England patungong New York na may lulang 2,224 mga pasahero at crew. Higit 1,500 katao ang nasawi sa trahedya.
Ang wreckage ay nasa dalawang main pieces 400 milya mula sa baybayin ng Newfoundland, Canada, mga 13,000 talampakan sa ilalim ng tubig. Natagpuan ito noong 1985 at namalagi nang pang-akit hindi lamang para sa nautical experts kundi maging sa underwater tourists.
Bagama’t hindi pinag-aralan ang mismong barko, nagmungkahi si Alistair Greig, propesor ng marine engineering sa University College London, ng dalawang posibleng teorya batay sa mga larawan ng barko na inilathala ng press.
Aniya, “If it had an electrical or communications problem, it could have surfaced and remained floating, ‘waiting to be found.’ Another scenario is the pressure hull was compromised — a leak. Then the prognosis is not good.”
