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A look inside Titan, the lost submersible


The search for a missing Titanic tourist submersible continued Wednesday as experts fear the watercraft may have only a day's supply of oxygen left. 

U.S. and Canadian crews began searching for the underwater vessel Sunday after the 22-foot submersible, named Titan, lost contact with a support ship while carrying five people to the wreckage site of the Titanic.

Here’s a closer look at the missing Titan submersible owned by OceanGate, a Washington-based deep-sea exploration company.

Missing Titanic submersible:Maps, graphics show last location, depth and design

How big is the missing submersible?

The Titan is about 9 feet high, 8 feet wide, 22 feet long and weighs 25,000 pounds, according to the OceanGate website. The watercraft left from St. John's on June 16 and lost contact with the ship that was monitoring it about an hour and 45 minutes later. It usually takes two-hours to visit the ship.

Missing Titanic submersible live update:Search expands 'exponentially'; more sounds heard

Titanic submersible controller

A CBS reporter who rode the Titan submersible last year told USA TODAY that parts of the vessel seemed "less sophisticated.”

"There were parts of it that seemed to me to be less sophisticated than I was guessing. You drive it with a PlayStation video controller... some of the ballasts are old, rusty construction pipes," CBS correspondent David Pogue told USA TODAY. "There were certain things that looked like cut corners."

Titanic submarine exterior

The Titan submersible is launched underwater from a platform. Submersibles require a support ship that can launch and recover them unlike submarines, which are fully autonomous.

Interior of Titan submersible

The Titan fits five passengers inside the hull, an area where passengers sit, including one pilot and four crewmembers. The hull is made of five inch thick carbon-fiber materials.


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