‘Impossible to find in the timescale’: Ex-Navy Commander casts doubt on retrieval of the Titanic sub
21 June 2023, 12:14 | Updated: 21 June 2023, 15:18
Former Naval Commander says rescue of missing sub is 'impossible.'
Ex-navy commander, Chris Parry, sheds light on the "difficulty of finding" the submersible and questions "why on earth" the adventures would enter such a "dodgy piece of technology".
Following the disappearance of the Titanic submersible on Tuesday, former Royal Navy Warfare Officer and Aviator, Chris Parry told Nick Ferrari: "I'm afraid the odds [of retrieving the sub] are vanishingly small."
Five men are believed to be on board the submersible. They are British billionaire Hamish Harding, OceanGate founder Stockton Rush, French explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet and Shahzada Dawood, a prominent Pakistani businessman, and Mr Dawood’s son Suleman.
Dr Parry continued: “Obviously, we want to remain hopeful and optimistic but there are two problems here - one is actually finding the thing and secondly is how on earth are we going to get it off the seabed. It's never been done before and I don't think anybody's got any ideas about how to do it at the moment."
He added: "You've got this vastly complex seabed with all the debris of the Titanic, you've got hills and canyons and everything, and I'm afraid to say without an emitting signal from the vehicle itself it's almost, well, I'd say it's impossible to find in the timescale."
He went on: "Why on earth you would go in a dodgy piece of technology where you actually have to sign away any right to sue the company for emotional damage, injury or death is beyond me.
"It is fundamentally dangerous, there was no backup plan, it's experimental and I'm afraid to say there's an element of hubris if you want to go down and do that.
Adding to the disincentive of boarding the Titanic Submersive Chris Parry said: “You actually have to sign away a right to sue the company for any emotional damage, injury or death… it’s beyond me.”
He reflected on his experience: “I spent my life in search and rescue hoiking people out of the ocean for silly reasons… the risks just weren’t calibrated here.”
On Tuesday afternoon, the Coast Guard warned oxygen supplies on board the OceanGate vessel would last 40 hours, there are now 24 hours left.
