France is deploying an oceanographic vessel, L’Atalante, to help find the Titan, a private submarine that has been missing for five days. The boat has a key asset up its sleeve: Victor 6000, a remote-controlled robot capable of diving very deeply.
The chances were very slim, Thursday, June 22, to find safe and sound the crew of the private submarine Titan, missing for five days when he was to go near the wreck of the Titanic. The state of health of the five passengers remains uncertain to this day, as do their water and oxygen supplies. The sounds previously picked up by the Canadian Navy were a false lead.
All may not be lost, however. The crew is probably trying to spare their reserves as much as possible to increase their chances of survival, in the hope of getting help. Above all, new means have just arrived in the area, in support of those already committed: the French Research Institute for the Exploitation of the Sea (IFREMER) has just brought in one of its oceanographic vessels, L’Atalante , to explore the seabed.
The Atalante, which was 48 hours sailing from the search area, took two days to arrive (its average speed is 10 knots, or 18.5 km/h). It is a large ship – 85 meters long and 16 wide –, manned by a crew of 15 to 29 sailors. Launched in 1989, it has several scientific instruments, including a deep-sea multibeam sounder, which allows it to scan up to 12 km deep.
Currently, research around Titan is taking place in the vicinity of where the wreckage of the Titanic lies, in the North Atlantic. The liner is off the island of Newfoundland, about 700 km from the coast, at 3,800 meters deep. Rescue essentially concentrate their efforts on an area of 20,000 km² around the boat (it is twice the area of Île-de-France), and up to 4,000 meters deep.
A remote-controlled robot, cut for great depths
If the presence of L’Atalante in the vicinity is considered decisive for the future, it is not because of the ship’s own capacities – although its winch could be used, thanks to its capacity to support a load of 15 tons (and its gantry handles 22 tons). What interests the rescue is the presence of Victor 6000. It is a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV, remotely operated vehicle, in the jargon), capable of diving very far.
Victor 6000’s main advantage: it can go down to 6,000m (hence its name), which is more than enough for the Titan, if it is actually at Titanic level. It is wire-guided by cable, which is 8 km long, which potentially gives it unlimited electrical autonomy. However, the average duration of a dive is 72 hours, or three days, specifies IFREMER.
We can also note the presence of two articulated arms, each of which can carry 100 kg. This is too little for the Titan, whose weight is just over 10 tons. On the other hand, if he ever finds the submersible, he can help it get free, if it is stuck or if its propulsion is hindered. He could also attach a chain to the Titan, in order to hoist it to the surface, with the winch of a ship. But we are not there yet.
” To better see its surroundings, Victor 6000 has two ultra high resolution video cameras », adds IFREMER. It can also use data from the deep-sea multibeam sounder to map the surroundings and help the people who pilot it from L’Atalante to make it evolve in the most relevant places. The machine also has an acoustic capacity and has powerful spotlights to illuminate in front of it.
Victor 6000 is experienced in the deep sea: he has already completed 900 dives during his career, almost exclusively scientific. The underwater robot, despite its undeniable and critical advantages, nevertheless risks arriving a little too late to be decisive. We still do not know where to look precisely and the date of June 22 is considered the limit before the exhaustion of oxygen reserves. The reasons for the loss of the Titan remain unknown to this day.
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