There is now only a slim chance of rescuing five people aboard the still missing submersible Titanic.

“More people been to outer space than this depth of the ocean,” Titanic expedition leader, G. Michael Harris told Fox News.

“The worst situation is something happened to the hull and our fear is it imploded at (a depth of) 3200m .’’

The sub, according to retired US submarine commander David Marquet, “might as well be on the dark side of the moon”. Even if it is found, it would need to be raised and brought back aboard the mother ship – an extraordinarily difficult operation.

“It needs us to rescue them,” he said.

United States Coast Guard Rear Admiral Mauger confirmed a few minutes ago that sonobuoys have been deployed by aircraft in an effort to find the sub. 2040 Zulu pic.twitter.com/O4rETdzEN3

— Thenewarea51 (@thenewarea51) June 19, 2023

Even if the sub is found intact near the Titanic wreck, Mr Harris warned, bringing the vehicle to the surface in time would be next to impossible.

Harris reiterated, “You have to make sure you cross every “t” and dot every “i” and follow every step to the letter.”. Throwing a bunch of tourists into a new sub created over the last couple of years, it’s not looking good.’’

Titan had about 40 hours of oxygen remaining for five people on board, Captain Jamie Frederick, of the First Coast Guard District, said at a press conference this morning.

The search is “complex” and requires the involvement of multiple agencies.

Another informative thread by @CavasShips https://t.co/OdZAYhidvo

— Thenewarea51 (@thenewarea51) June 19, 2023

Only the most optimistic scenario is that Titan has floated to the surface after ditching ballast and is waiting to be found by the increasing number of C-130 Canadian and US coast guard aircraft that are sweeping the region.

Deep Energy, a deep sea cable boat, has been moving slowly over the wreck of the Titanic since Tuesday afternoon Australian time. Upon receiving the STD-C – a marine satellite service – emergency message on Sunday, the vessel was the first to respond. On Monday evening, the ship changed its bearings and headed to the Titanic wreck site.

On June 19, the STD-C alert was issued at 10.25 Zulu (GMT), more than 12 hours after the sub had been scheduled to surface after a 12 hour descent, observation of the Titanic, and ascent.