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Only a few hours of oxygen left for 5 people missing on Titantic submersible
As rescue crews work tirelessly to bring all assets and expertise to bear as quickly as possible this remains a race against time.
The Vice President of the Washington Scuba Alliance says that if the Titan crew is stuck in the sub at the bottom of the ocean, robots will play a big role in locating and potentially raising the missing sub.
He says due to the intense pressure that exists on the sea floor near the Titanic, human divers would be unable to do the work at that depth.
Randy Williams is a retired Coast Guard Marine Science Technician and technical diving instructor. He currently works at the Marine Science and Technology Center in Des Moines.
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The five-person submersible weighs 20,000 pounds and is capable of diving 13,120 feet
He says that pilots on the surface of the ocean will likely be guiding a set of Remote Operated Vehicles, which were reportedly on their way to the search area Wednesday. He says those ROV'S may provide the first look at what's happening on the sea floor in the area where the sub went missing.
"It’s just sad to have five people potentially lost down there," said Williams.
He says he's personally talked to members of OceanGate's team throughout the years, at one time advising them on a local dive project, and swapping stories of the sea.
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"I have personally been to 10,000 feet in a research sub," said Williams. "All these subs are equipped with a manual weight release. It can do a rise on its own. Why hasn’t that happened?"
In his five decades doing underwater research, photography and salvage, he's become skilled in using remote operated vehicles and has recovered everything from tires to sunken ships and airplanes.
This is a picture of thousands of tires captured on a sonar image as part of an environmental cleanup project.
This is a picture that Williams provided, showing the small ROV's that he uses for some of his operations.
The silver instrument is a side scan sonar "towfish". This image shows what his teams can see while using the technology.
"I’ve got a lot of faith in all that technology," said Williams.
He says the pressure at the depths of the Titanic is so intense, if the sub is stuck on the sea floor, robots will be needed to locate it and bring it to the surface.
"Essentially, it’s for every foot of seawater you descend the pressure increases by .445 pounds per square inch," said Williams. "You are going to need a remotely operated vehicle and that technology has sure come a long way."
The US Air Force and the Navy reportedly joined the Coast Guard in the Titan rescue mission, with cargo planes delivering winches, cables adan unmanned vehicles, capable of traveling more than 13,000 feet underwater. That is a range that will allow them to reach the sea floor near the Titanic.
Williams says newer ROV's are equipped with state-of-the-art cameras, robotic arms, and often contain "sweep sonar" systems.
"They can scan back and forth acoustically and fly the ROV to that target based on that sonar data," said Williams.
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Williams says once the remote operated vehicles reach the search area via surface ship, it will still take time for them to descend to the ocean floor. Although they can likely travel faster than a manned ship, he says it could take hours to reach the bottom as it's a very long drop.
Meantime, Williams is watching the clock and hoping for a safe return of the Titan crew.
"I hope they have good carbon dioxide scrubbers on board, that will get you before the loss of oxygen," said Williams. "All you can do is keep your fingers crossed and hope for the best."