A Closer Look at the Submersible Lost in the North Atlantic

The deep-diving submersible vehicle that was lost in the North Atlantic on Sunday was believed to have less than two days of oxygen remaining on board as of Tuesday night, as ships and aircraft raced to search an area larger than Connecticut.

The submersible, the Titan, had five passengers on board — its maximum capacity — and it was a tight squeeze. Promotional materials showed an interior with no seats, only a flat floor passengers could sit on, and a single view port 21 inches in diameter.

The U.S. Coast Guard said on Tuesday that several vessels were on their way to assist in the search for the submersible, including its ship the Sycamore and a Canadian Coast Guard vessel, John Cabot. The French government said on Tuesday that it was also sending a research vessel, the Atalante, which is equipped with an exploration robot, to help with the search. Already at the site on Tuesday were the M.V. Polar Prince, Deep Energy – a pipe-laying vessel flagged in the Bahamas, and three other Canadian vessels.

The Polar Prince deployed the Titan on Sunday and has been searching the area since losing contact with it less than two hours later. Deep Energy arrived at the scene earlier on Tuesday and launched a remotely operated vehicle, or R.O.V., to aid in the search, the U.S. Coast Guard said. American and Canadian aircraft have also been scanning the search area by sight and radar, and have deployed sonar buoys.