US Navy salvage system could be used to rescue Titanic sub

A special US Navy salvage system could be used to rescue the submersible which went missing during a dive to the wreck of the Titanic.

The equipment, which would be able to hoist the missing Titan to the surface, has now arrived in St John’s, Canada, as rescuers race to find the vessel.

The search has now entered a critical stage, with little time left before the oxygen supply for the five people aboard is exhausted.

The US Navy equipment is capable of hoisting “large, bulky and heavy undersea objects such as aircraft or small vessels”, officials said in a statement.

The Titan weighs 20,000lb and the US Navy’s Flyaway Deep Ocean Salvage System is designed to lift up to three times that weight.

However, the Telegraph says the equipment likely won’t be ready for use until later today.
'Hopeful'

US Coast Guard officials insisted they remained “hopeful” with a surge of assets and experts joining the operation and sonar detecting unidentified “underwater noises”.

A North Sea pipe-laying vessel is also involved in the search for the Titan.

The Deep Energy, managed and operated by Westhill-based subsea firm TechnipFMC, is now aiding rescuers at the scene.

The Press & Journal says the Deep Energy is capable of working in depths of up to 9,842ft, and is equipped with deep-water cranes and two specialist ROVs.

Read the latest issue of the OGV Energy magazine HERE