A rescue mission is still underway to help find the crew of the missing Titan tourist submersible.
The submarine with five people onboard, ventured to the bottom of the Atlantic ocean to see the wreck of the Titanic. It was first reported missing local time on Sunday (June 18) after it lost contact on its route to the famous shipwreck.
It was sadly reported that teenager Suleman Dawood, who studies at the University of Strathclyde, is one of five trapped on the sub.
Time is running out for the oxygen levels on board with experts scrambling to find them and bring them to the surface.
READ MORE: Who is Glasgow student Suleman Dawood? As father and son trapped on Titanic submarine
But what do we know so far? Here is everything you need to know.
What is the Titanic submarine called and what does it do?
According to the Ocean Gate website, "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. Through the innovative use of modern materials, Titan is lighter in weight and more cost efficient to mobilize than any other deep diving submersible. A combination of ground-breaking engineering and off-the-shelf technology gives Titan a unique advantage over other deep diving subs; the proprietary Real Time Hull Health Monitoring (RTM) systems provides an unparalleled safety feature that assesses the integrity of the hull throughout every dive. The use off-the-shelf components helped to streamline the construction, and makes it simple to operate and replace parts in the field.
"Paired with a patented, integrated launch and recovery platform, Titan is easy to operate in varying sea states using a local appropriately sized ship for the project. In coastal waters this means we do not need a large support ship with a crane or A-frame."
Who is on board the Titanic submarine?
There are five people onboard the OceanGate Expeditions vessel. Below is what we know about them.
Shahzada and Suleman Dawood
The father and son are part of Pakistan’s most prominent families, it has been reported. The 48-year-old is trapped on the sub with his son, who is a student in Glasgow attending the University of Strathclyde.
The father is vice-chairman of Pakistani conglomerate Engro Corporation, and a long-time adviser to the King’s charity, Prince’s Trust International.
Talking about the student who has just completed his first year at Strathclyde Business School, a University of Strathclyde spokesman said they were deeply concerned about the student, his father and the others in the vessel.
"Our thoughts are with their families and loved ones and we continue to hope for a positive outcome," he said.
READ: Glasgow student trapped on Titanic submarine that went missing during dive
Stockton Rush
The chief executive and founder of OceanGate Expeditions is also on board the sub. According to the company website, Rush "oversees OceanGate’s financial and engineering strategies and provides a clear vision for development of 4,000 meter (13,123 feet) and 6,000 meter (19,685 feet) capable crewed submersibles and their partner launch and recovery platforms which make OceanGate Inc the leading provider of crewed submersibles for charter and scientific research."
You can read about him on their website.
Hamish Harding
The 58-year-old is the chair of the private plane firm Action Aviation and can be seen below signing his name before the expedition. The British billionaire was a student at Cambridge and left with a degree in natural sciences and chemical engineering.
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Paul-Henri Nargeolet
The 77-year-old is the fifth person on the sub and is a former French navy commander known as “Mr Titanic”. This is because he has been studying the Titanic for 35 years and has been involved in several submarine expeditions to the wreckage and hundreds of hours of observation.
In 1987 he was part of the team that brought up objects from the wreckage. In an interview with Le Parisien last year, he said the area lies in total darkness.
When did the Titanic submarine, Titan, enter the water and how long has it been missing for?
The crew of the Titan submersible lost contact with its surface vessel - the Polar Prince - an hour and 45 minutes after it began a dive to see the wreck on Sunday. It has been missing for four days now and it is unclear how closer they are to locating the missing sub.
How far down is the Titanic and where is it located?
The Titanic lies around 12,500 feet below sea level. It is located around 435 miles (700km) south of St John's, Newfoundland.
The maximum depth sunlight penetrates is 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) making the search even harder.
Did they make it to the Titanic and could they be trapped in the wreck?
We do not know if they made it to the Titanic - which was their goal. Rumours suggest they could be stuck in Titanic but experts have said it is unlikely given they lost communication just under two hours into their decent.
How much oxygen is left on the Titanic submarine?
The US Coast Guard estimated the vessel had between 70 to 96 hours of emergency oxygen as of 10pm BST on Monday. It is unclear exactly just how much they have left and it is hard to estimate an exact time they will run out.
However it is predicted that oxygen will likely run out by 12.08pm on Thursday June 22. At the time of writing, this time-frame has now passed.
Was banging noise heard from the Titanic submarine?
Yes, there are reports banging was heard in 30 minute intervals however it is unclear whether or not this is from the sub, the Titanic or something else. Experts have said that the shipwreck is decomposing which can cause noises - which may have been what was picked up.
Carl Hartsfield, from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, said the ocean was “a very complex place” and it is “very difficult to discern what the sources of those noises are”.
Asked to describe what the noises sound like, Hartsfield said they have been described as banging noises however there are other factors to consider as well as eliminating any other potential man-made sources other than the Titan.
There are biological sounds that sound man-made to the untrained ear, he says, "but I can assure you that the people listening to these tapes are trained. All of the vessels in the area make noise so they have to be eliminated."
Captain Jamie Frederick of the US Coast Guard told a press conference on Wednesday: "What I can tell you is, we're searching in the area where the noises were detected, and we'll continue to do so and we hope that when we're able to get additional ROVs (remotely operated vehicles) which will be there in the morning..
"The intent will be to continue to search in those areas where the noises were detected, and if they're continuing to be detected, and then put additional ROVs down on the last known position where the search was originally taking place."
He added: "This is a search and rescue mission 100 per cent, we are smack dab in the middle of search and rescue and will continue to put every available asset that we have in an effort to find the Titan and the crew members."
Who is helping to located the Titanic submarine?
A French ship named the Atalante, which was sent over on President Emmanuel Macron’s orders, arrived to join the search and as of this morning (June 22) it is aiding in the search.
The French vessel with a submersible is capable of reaching the sea bed and transmitting images to the surface. As of now, there are now 10 ships and remote submarines in the area, doubling the size of the operation.
According to the BBC, this is who is involved with the ongoing search:
- Polar Prince (on site) - Research vessel that launched the Titan submersible
- Deep Energy (on site) - Commercial cable-laying ship with two ROVs that can operate down to 3,000m (10,000ft)
- Atlantic Merlin (on site) - Canadian offshore supply vessel with 4,000m winch system. Carries ROVs but it's unknown how deep they can operate
- Skandi Vinland (on site) - Subsea support vessel with two ROVs but it's unknown how deep they can operate
- L'Atalante (on site) - French-operated ship heading to the scene with an ROV that can operate at depth of Titanic wreckage
- Horizon Arctic (on site) - Commercial vessel loaded with support equipment and an ROV but it's unknown how deep it can operate
- Glace Bay (in vicinity on standby) - Canadian naval ship carrying decompression chamber and ready to provide medical assistance
- John Cabot (on site) - Scientific research vessel with sonar search capabilities operated by the Canadian Coast Guard
- Ann Harvey (on site) - Light icebreaker vessel operated by the Canadian Coast Guard
- Terry Fox (en route) - Heavy icebreaker vessel operated by the Canadian Coast Guard
