The commercial submersible that went missing carrying five passengers while touring the Titanic shipwreck presents a “challenging” and “dire” situation for rescuers, a former Coast Guardsman told Fox News.
“From what I understand, the vessels are not designed for long-range, multi-day excursions,” said John Mixson, a retired U.S. Coast Guard lieutenant commander who was involved in long-range search and rescue missions. “So it’s going to be a very, very uncomfortable, dark experience with a lot of hope and prayers.”
OceanGates offers several submersive vehicles including the Titan and the Cyclops 1. (David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
“I would say it is extremely serious. It’s a dire situation,” he continued. “But on the other side of that fact, it is still considered classified as a search and rescue mission, which should give everyone hope, including the family members and friends of the people on board the vessel.”
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“Obviously, something very rapid and very tragic took place,” he said.
Mixson also said a submerged rescue can be a “very challenging ordeal” and that though the Coast Guard has diving capabilities, the “Navy is definitely very capable of recovering something like this.”
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“At this point, the presumption is a search and rescue mission, which would indicate that everyone who’s in the process is still anticipating a favorable outcome,” Mixson said. “Which means you’re looking for survivors.”
“At this point, you’re still within 36 hours, I would definitely say there’s still hope,” he continued.
