'It's Not Looking Good': Titanic Diver Who's Been to Wreck Fears Missing OceanGate Sub IMPLODED 10,000 Feet Underwater and That Its Five Occupants are Already Long Dead
By Andrea Cavallier
An experienced diver who has traveled far into the depths of the ocean to view the Titanic wreckage fears the submersible that vanished on Sunday may have imploded thousands of feet underwater.
G. Michael Harris, who said he possibly knows three of the five occupants on board the missing sub, told Fox News' Jesse Watters he is not optimistic they will be rescued and believes there is nothing the U.S. Navy can do.
'Worst situation is something happened to the hull and our fear is that it imploded at around 3,200 meters,' (10,000 feet) Harris said.
At those depths, the weight of the water would exert extreme pressure on the missing submersible - around 6,000 pounds on each square inch of its hull.
Five people were on board Titan, the 22ft craft taking paying tourists to view the wreck 12,500ft under water when they lost signal on Sunday in the depths of the Atlantic Ocean, 370 miles off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada.
British billionaire Hamish Harding has been confirmed as one of the five on board the vessel, along with OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, French explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, UK-based Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood, 48, and his 19-year-old son Sulaiman Dawood.
Rescue crews from the US and Canada are still trying to find the vessel, which is understood to have last 'pinged' whilst directly above the Titanic wreck, before the air onboard runs out. It is believed the submarine has enough oxygen to last under water until 12pm on Thursday UK time (7am EST).
But an implosion would mean any hope is already long gone. If any part of the submersible's carbon-fiber and titanium hull had suffered a small crack or fault, a deadly implosion would have followed after.
And on Monday night, Harris explained to Watters on his show that that the Titan drops to extraordinary depths to reach the wreck of the Titanic - which takes about two and a half hours and more than 10,000 feet.
'No. No. I mean, I don't see anything that can happen at this point,' he said in response to whether the U.S. Navy can do anything at this point.
'When you're talking 6,000 pounds per square inch, it is a dangerous environment. More people have been to outer-space than to this depth of the ocean. When you're diving in these situations you have to cross your T and dot your Is. You have to do everything absolutely perfect and by the book.'
'Throw in a bunch of tourists in a new sub, which was just created in the last couple of years,' Harris continued. 'It's not looking good.'
It's understood that Titan communicates by sending a ping to the Polar Prince every 15 minutes - the last of which was received while the submersible floated above the Titanic wreckage at about 10am EST Sunday. (3pm UK time).
It was at that moment that chaos ensued. A distress call was sent to the US Coast Guard at 9pm, whose Boston branch is leading an operation to carry out what would be the deepest undersea rescue mission ever.
British businessman Hamish Harding, who lives in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, was one of the mission specialists, according to Action Aviation, a company for which Harding serves as chairman.
Also on board were Pakistani nationals Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman, according to a family statement sent to the AP.
The Dawoods belong to one of Pakistan's most prominent families. Their eponymous firm invests across the country in agriculture, industries and the health sector.
Their family, including Shahzada's wife Christine and daughter Alina, are waiting for news of the pair.
'We are very grateful for the concern being shown by our colleagues and friends and would like to request everyone to pray for their safety while granting the family privacy at this time,' the statement said. 'The family is well looked after and are praying to Allah for the safe return of their family members.'
Shahzada Dawood also is on the board of trustees for the California-based SETI Institute that searches for extraterrestrial intelligence.
French explorer and Titanic expert Paul-Henry Nargeolet also was on board, according to David Gallo, a senior adviser for strategic initiatives and special projects at RMS Titanic. Gallo identified Nargeolet, a friend who has led multiple expeditions to the Titanic, on Tuesday during an interview with CNN.
Nargeolet's agent has since confirmed his presence on board.
The expedition was OceanGate's third annual voyage to chronicle the deterioration of Titanic, which struck an iceberg and sank in 1912, killing all but about 700 of the roughly 2,200 passengers and crew.
Since the wreckage's discovery in 1985, it has been slowly succumbing to metal-eating bacteria. Some have predicted the ship could vanish in a matter of decades as holes yawn in the hull and sections disintegrate.
The initial group of tourists in 2021 paid $100,000 to $150,000 apiece to go on the trip. OceanGate's website had described the 'mission support fee' for the 2023 expedition as $250,000 a person.
Unlike submarines that leave and return to port under their own power, submersibles require a ship to launch and recover them.
OceanGate hired the Polar Prince to ferry dozens of people and the submersible craft to the North Atlantic wreck site. The submersible would make multiple dives in one expedition.
The expedition was scheduled to depart from St. John's, Newfoundland, in early May and finish up at the end of June, according to documents filed by the company in April with a U.S. District Court in Virginia that oversees Titanic matters.
OceanGate says on its website that customers do not require any previous diving experience but there are 'a few physical requirements like being able to board small boats in active seas', said it was receiving help from government agencies and deep-sea companies.
The eight-day trip includes a two hour dive to the Titanic wreck and the same on the way up. It can be around eight to 10 hours in total.
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