UK rescue teams on standby to help save stricken Titanic tourist sub as experts warned prospects are bleak | The Sun
BRITISH sub-rescue teams were on standby to help save the stricken Titan last night – but experts warned its prospects were bleak.
The deep-sea tourist sub disappeared in 3,800m deep water – almost four times deeper than the maximum depth of Nato’s Submarine Rescue System based at HMNB Clyde in Faslane.
Former Royal Navy submarine captain Ryan Ramsay said: “The chances of survival are very low. That depth is huge.
“Either something has happened that has left them stuck down there.
“In which case they will be rapidly running out of air. Or they have been crushed.
“The best case scenario is that they are able to conserve their air, they are able to located their position.
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“To get something down there quickly enough to assist is going to be really difficult.
“There is no rescue vehicle that can reach it, to take people off.
“The only thing that could reach it is another specialist deep sea submersible but it wouldn’t be able to take people off.”
Most of the world’s military submarines operate around 200m below the surface.
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The Nato sub rescue system has maximum depth of 1000m and the US Navy have similar kit.
Jointly operated by the UK, France and Norway, the resuce units are designed to fit on aircraft and deploy anywhere in the world at 24 hours notice.
It includes remotely operated vehicle can dive to around 1000 metres and provide emergency life support to a stricken submarine.
A larger, free-swimming Submarine Rescue Vehicle can only reach 610 metres.
Most submarines have a standard size rescue hatch which the Rescue Vehicle can attach itself to, in order to transfer up to 72 passengers under pressure, to the surface.
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: “As the host nation for Nato’s multinational submarine rescue capability, we continue to monitor the incident in the North Atlantic and will guide and assist in any response activity as appropriate.”
It said initial reports suggest the tourist sub had disappeared in water far deeper than the rescue submarines can operate.
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