SUB HUNT
A CHILLING animation has shown how deep the missing Titanic sub could be as search teams raced against time to save those on board.
The clip comes as the five men trapped on the vessel are feared to have run out of oxygen earlier today.
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The video, made by Spanish animation company , takes viewers through the depths of the ocean.
The footage marks out major lakes, seas and shipwrecks to compare just how deep the missing crew could be.
Multiple landmarks are also depicted in the water - including the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty and the Burj Khalifa.
Eventually, viewers are taken to a depth of about 12,000ft – the bottom of the North Atlantic, where the wreckage of the Titanic are found.
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The horrifying analysis comes as rescuers launched a last-ditch rescue attempt to save the five crew members.
A US Navy CURV21 was among robot subs joining the bid to find lost craft Titan in the Atlantic and winch it to the surface.
Air keeping alive the five on board ran out at noon today.
But rescue teams are still hoping for a miracle as a high-tech underwater robot has hit the ocean floor to scour for the stricken sub.
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The US Coastguard warned the oxygen supply was due to run out at 12.08pm BST (7.08am ET) today - meaning it is probable the crew on board Titan are now without breathable air.
Experts say humans can only survive a few minutes without oxygen.
But US Coast Guard's Rear Admiral John Mauger, who is heading the search operation, today insisted rescuers remain focused on finding the five-member crew alive.
Five specialist vessels backed by deep-sea robots and search-and-rescue aircraft were already combing a vast 15,000 square mile zone up to a depth of 2½ miles.
But their number was due to double before the air supply deadline at around noon UK time today.
The late arrivals — carrying the world’s most advanced undersea search technology — provide the best hope of an incredible last-gasp rescue.
Experts hope they can end the “needle in a haystack” hunt near the liner’s wreck, 12,500ft under the North Atlantic.
Five people were on board the mini-sub Titan, which went missing on Sunday during a dive to view the Titanic.
US Coast Guard captain Jamie Frederick yesterday confirmed deep-sea noises had been heard which were being analysed by sonar experts to establish if they came from the 22ft craft.
He said: "There is an enormous complexity associated with this case, due to the location being so far off shore and the coordination between multiple agencies and nations.
"There were multiple reports of noises and every one of them is being analysed.
"The noises have been described as banging noises."
However, so far, Captain Frederick said the searches have yielded negative results.
He said: "The noises were heard yesterday and this morning, experts are analysing the data but at the moment it is inconclusive.
"We need to have hope... what I can tell you is we are searching in the right area.
“We have to remain optimistic and hopeful when we are in a search-and-rescue case.”
Carl Hartsfield, another expert involved in the search, told reporters it was very tough to discern what the noises were.
He said: "We have multiple sensors in the area taking the data back to the best people in the world and feeding this back to the team so they can make decisions.
"They have to eliminate potential manmade sources other than the Titanic."
Canada’s CGS Ann Harvey, CGS Terry Fox, Motor Vessel Horizon Arctic and French research ship L’Atalante were all steaming at full speed to join the hunt before dawn.
Sean Leet - the co-founder and Chair of Horizon Maritime Services, the firm supplying Horizon Arctic - said he was dedicated to concluding the search.
Sean said: "Our equipment is on scene and is helping with the investigation as directed by the US Coast Guard.
"In addition to the Polar Prince, we have mobilised the Horizon Arctic to add vessel support for this mission.
"The people on board the Titan and their families are our focus, we care deeply about their well-being.
"Our critical role remains in a support capacity."
Officials said the ship would have arrived sooner, but had to return to Newfoundland to retrieve deep-sea diving equipment.
The L’Atalante carries the robot Victor 6000, which is capable of reaching depths of 20,000ft.
The robot can dive deeper than other equipment at the site.
Operated by a 25-strong crew, it has arms that can be operated to cut cables or perform other manoeuvres to release a stuck vessel.
While the vehicle could not lift Titan to the surface on its own, it could help to hook it to a ship.
A US Navy CURV21 undersea robot was also due to arrive and was seen as the best chance of saving the crew — if they are found alive.
It can salvage wreckage and craft up to 20,000ft down — and last year pulled off a world record recovery of a Seahawk helicopter at a depth of 19,075ft off Japan. Sonar teams hope they can detect the sub in the icy depths in time for the CURV21 to pull off a rescue.
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The unprecedented feat would involve the tethered deep-sea robot attaching its cable to the Titan in pitch darkness near the ocean floor.
It would then need to pull the OceanGate Expedition company’s ten-ton craft aboard a US Navy ship at breakneck speed. Even if the sub reaches the surface in time, crews will still have to unbolt the Titan’s sealed titanium hull to free the five.
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