An experienced diver who has traveled far into the depths of the ocean to view the Titanic wreckage fears the submersible that vanished on Sunday may have imploded thousands of feet underwater.
G. Michael Harris, who said he possibly knows three of the five occupants on board the missing sub, told Fox News’ Jesse Watters he is not optimistic they will be rescued and believes there is nothing the U.S. Navy can do.
‘Worst situation is something happened to the hull and our fear is that it imploded at around 3,200 meters,’ (10,000 feet) Harris said.
At those depths, the weight of the water would exert extreme pressure on the missing submersible – around 6,000 pounds on each square inch of its hull.
Five people were on board Titan, the 22ft craft taking paying tourists to view the wreck 12,500ft under water when they lost signal on Sunday in the depths of the Atlantic Ocean, 370 miles off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada.
British billionaire Hamish Harding has been confirmed as one of the five on board the vessel, along with OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, French explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, UK-based Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood, 48, and his 19-year-old son Sulaiman Dawood.
Rescue crews from the US and Canada are still trying to find the vessel, which is understood to have last ‘pinged’ whilst directly above the Titanic wreck, before the air onboard runs out.
It is believed the submarine has enough oxygen to last under water until 12pm on Thursday UK time (7am EST).
But an implosion would mean any hope is already long gone. If any part of the submersible’s carbon-fiber and titanium hull had suffered a small crack or fault, a deadly implosion would have followed after.
And on Monday night, Harris explained to Watters on his show that that the Titan drops to extraordinary depths to reach the wreck of the Titanic – which takes about two and a half hours and more than 10,000 feet.
‘No. No. I mean, I don’t see anything that can happen at this point,’ he said in response to whether the U.S. Navy can do anything at this point.
‘When you’re talking 6,000 pounds per square inch, it is a dangerous environment. 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 and dot your Is. You have to do everything absolutely perfect and by the book.
‘Throw in a bunch of tourists in a new sub, which was just created in the last couple of years,’ Harris continued. ‘It’s not looking good.’
It’s understood that Titan communicates by sending a ping to the Polar Prince every 15 minutes – the last of which was received while the submersible floated above the Titanic wreckage at about 10am EST Sunday. (3pm UK time).
It was at that moment that chaos ensued. A distress call was sent to the US Coast Guard at 9pm, whose Boston branch is leading an operation to carry out what would be the deepest undersea rescue mission ever.
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.
Also on board were Pakistani nationals Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman, according to a family statement sent to the AP.
