US Coast Guard says missing Titanic sub actually has 'limited supply of rations on board'

The missing Titanic submersible has 'limited supply of rations on board', a US Coast Guard has said.

OceanGate - a company that takes tourists to visit the wreck of the Titanic - confirmed that five crew members are on board the submersible that has gone missing in the Atlantic Ocean.

British billionaire adventurer Hamish Harding is among the five, along with Shahzada Dawood, his son Suleman and OceanGate’s chief executive and founder Stockton Rush, reportedly together with French submersible pilot Paul-Henri Nargeolet.

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At a briefing on Wednesday (21 June), Captain Jamie Frederick of the US Coast Guard said that five service assets are currently searching for the Titan, with another five expected to join the rescue mission in the next 24 hours.

The vessels involved in the search include; Bahamian research vessel Deep Energy, French research vessel L’Atalante and His Majesty’s Canadian Ship Glace Bay.

On Wednesday (21 June) morning, the US Coast Guard said they had 'detected underwater noises in the search area'.

They said: “As a result, ROV (remote operating vehicles) operations were relocated in an attempt to explore the origin of the noises.

“Those ROV searches have yielded negative results but continue.

“Additionally, the data from the P-3 aircraft has been shared with our US Navy experts for further analysis which will be considered in future search plans.”

However, Fredrick admitted at the briefing: "We don't know what (the noises) are, to be frank with you.

"We're searching in the area where the noises were detected."

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Frederick also didn't answer questions about how much oxygen the passengers on board might have remaining.

But when asked about on-board food and drink resources, he said: "It is my understanding that they have some limited rations on board."

Another potential issue is that if rescuers manage to locate the missing Titanic submersible, they will only have one chance to retrieve it, an expert has said.

Fotis Pagoulatos, a naval architect, told The Wall Street Journal: "You need a ship that can lower a cable to pull the Titan up or have some kind of a claw.

"Even if they find it, there may not be enough time for the rescue because of the oxygen issue inside.

"Pulling up a vessel the size of a small bus is a complicated operation that takes time.

"And you only get one chance."