Titanic submarine: OceanGate CEO aboard missing submersible as rescuers confirm under 40 hours of oxygen left

As the US Coast Guard works to locate the OceanGate submersible ship CBS reporter David Pogue reminds people that this is not the first time the submersible has faced communication issues.

The submersible is not fully functioning in the same way a submarine is. It requires a surface ship to give it the correct directions.

Last year, Mr Pogue conducted a CBS report on the sub and joined the crew for a dive when it lost communication with the surface ship. This caused the crew aboard the submersible to become lost.

In a press conference on Tuesday (20 June) afternoon, Captain Jamie Frederick of the US Coast Guard said the Titan submersible had about 40 to 41 hours left of oxygen in the watercraft.

At this point, we’re approximately 40-41 hours,” Mr Frederick said.

Mr Frederick added that the hours were only an estimate based on the timeline they were working with.

Stockton Rush, the CEO and founder of OceanGate Expeditions, was aboard his company’s Titan submarine that disappeared on Sunday en route to the wreck of HMS Titanic around 370 miles east of the coast of Newfoundland, Canada.

The RMS Titanic’s final resting spot is approximately 370 miles off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada in the North Atlantic Ocean. It sank in 1912, killing approximately 1,500 people on board. Its coordinates are 41º43’32”N, 49º56’49”W.

The wreckage was discovered in 1985 and named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2012. Since its discovery — and thanks in part to James Cameron’s iconic film about the ship’s final hours — the ship and its fate have captured the public’s imagination.

Stockton Rush, the CEO and founder of OceanGate Expeditions was confirmed to be aboard the company’s submersible, the company confirmed on Tuesday (20 June).

The statement provided no other details besides that Mr Rush, “is aboard the submersible as a member of the crew.”

Five other people, including British billionaire explorer Hamish Harding, renowned French diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet, Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son, Suleman Dawood, are with Mr Rush aboard the Titan.

David Concannon said that he is assisting government officials as rescuers race against time to find the five passengers aboard the Oceangate Titanic submarine.

Andrea Blanco and Rachel Sharp report:

President Joe Biden is “watching events closely” pertaining to the missing submersible in the North Atlantic Ocean near the Titanic wreckage.

In a press conference on Tuesday, John Kirby, the coordinator for strategic communications for the National Security Council, said the President wants the US Coast Guard to continue participating in the search for the five missing people aboard the watercraft.

“Certainly the President wants the Coast Guard to continue to participate in that,” Mr Kirby said.

“The US Navy is on standby should they be needed because they have some deep water capabilities that the Coast Guard wouldn’t necessarily have.”

Mr Kirby said: “He’s watching events closely… Obviously, all of us, including the President, express our thoughts to the crew on board as well as to, no doubt, their worried family members back on shore.”

Elon Musk, the CEO of Twitter and SpaceX, has been uncharacteristically quiet about the disappearance of a research submarine visiting the remains of the Titanic.

The company operating the sub, OceanGate Expeditions, previously tweeted their appreciation for Mr Musk’s Starlink service — provided through SpaceX — which allowed them to access the internet while adventuring in the North Atlantic Ocean.