The desperate families of the trapped Titanic tourists have gathered at the harbour their loved ones set sail from and are praying anxiously for news of their rescue.
As one of the world’s most extensive underwater search missions was being conducted 370 miles out at sea beneath the Atlantic Ocean, relatives of the three Brits on board the ill-fated submersible clung to hope they were still alive.
One of the trio trapped, Shahzada Dawood is a supporter of King Charles through his work with the Prince’s Trust.
A source said: “His Majesty takes a keen personal interest in the people that help to keep his Trust thriving. He will be devastated to know that Shahzada is missing but will be keeping an eye on developments.”
Trapped along with the millionaire businessman are his son, Suleman, 19, British billionaire Hamish Harding, 58, French explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet and the CEO of the Titanic tour company OceanGate Stockton Rush.
Experts have given the families a glimmer of hope, saying the Titan submersible could have floated to the surface.
At 6pm UK time on Tuesday, US Coast Guard officials estimated the sub will have gone through more than half its oxygen supply.
"We know there's about 40 hours of breathable air left based on that initial report," Captain Jamie Frederick, with the First Coast Guard District said.
He added that the Coast Guard and its partners' "search efforts have not yielded any results”.
Former Royal Navy commander Ryan Ramsey said the vessel could “well be floating on the surface of the water”, a view shared by Alistair Greig, a professor of marine engineering at University College London.
Submariner Ramsey, who served 23 years underwater, said: “The vessel could well be floating on the surface of the water, meaning it will be easier for rescue crews to locate the submarine before the air runs out.”
Shahzada’s father, Pakistani billionaire Hussain Dawood, was a founding patron of Prince’s Trust International.
Yesterday the UK-based businessman’s family issued a statement paying tribute to his unselfish charitable work.
“Shahzada is a loving father to Suleman and Alina, husband to Christine, brother to three siblings, and son to Hussain & Kulsum Dawood,” it read.
“His 19-year-old son, Suleman Dawood, is currently a university student.
“Shahzada has been actively advocating a culture of learning, sustainability, and diversity in his capacity as Vice Chairman of Pakistan’s Engro Corporation. Passionate about social impact, he works extensively with the Engro Foundation, The Dawood Foundation, the SETI Institute, and Prince’s Trust International.”
Of Suleman, they said, “he takes a keen interest in solving Rubik’s Cubes and enjoys playing volleyball”.
It ended: “We are very grateful for the concern being shown by our colleagues and friends and would like to request everyone to pray for their safety.”
Will Straw, Chief Executive Officer of Prince’s Trust International, said: “Prince’s Trust International has a longstanding relationship with Shahzada Dawood and his family.
“We are shocked by this awful news, praying for a rescue and sending our thoughts to his family during this deeply challenging time.”
Shahzada’s father, Hussain Dawood, was a Founding Patron of Prince’s Trust International.
The Engro Foundation has supported the Prince’s Trust’s work in Pakistan.
Shahzada has been an advisor to Prince’s Trust International in various capacities, including work on the Global Advisory Board, focusing on their work in Pakistan.
Locals spoke of their shock at the Dawood’s £ 3.3 million mansion in Surbiton, west London.
Neighbour Ellen Maby, 48, said: “They are just the loveliest people. I have messaged Christine, but I haven’t heard back.
“She’s so lovely; when my mother was ill, she offered to help.
“The kids are really, really sweet. I can’t say anything other than they are the loveliest people.
“They’re really transient, and they travel a lot.”
Shahzada’s two children, Sulaiman, 19, and his younger sister Alina, 17, are thought to have attended nearby ACS International School Cobham.
A housekeeper at the property confirmed they were all in Canada, saying: “We haven’t heard anything. It’s terrifying.”
The Managing Director of Harding’s Action Aviation, Mark Butler, made an optimistic statement.
He said: “We are thankful for the continued efforts of the authorities and companies that have stepped in to aid in the rescue efforts. We put great faith and trust in their expertise.
“The team at Action Aviation are extremely proud of Hamish, and we look forward to welcoming him home.”However, Submarine Ramsay, 53, warned there is “no way” of rescuing those missing if the sub is thousands of feet below the surface as the technology “doesn’t exist”.
He said: “There is no way of rescuing them.
“Most rescue systems can only reach 500m, not 3,000m.
“The technology, as far as I am aware, doesn’t exist to carry out a rescue operation that deep.
“If they are still in a position to be rescued, they’re running out of air and creating more carbon dioxide. That’s the killer.”
Ramsey, 53, said his greatest fear was the sub may have “imploded by now”.
“The pressures at that depth are absolutely huge,” he continued.
“If there’s a fault in any part of that submarine or any crack, then quickly the pressure takes hold and crushes it.”
Asked what he thought when he heard about the crisis, he said: “It made my blood run cold. The people who decided to go down there are adventurers, and they push the limits of what humans can do.
“But if you [look] at the YouTube footage of that submarine, you could question the integrity of it. When I looked at it, there was no way I would have done it, and I have been underwater most of my life.”
Professor Greig added his hopes to the rescue mission.
He said: “If there was a power failure and/or communication failure, this might have happened, and the submersible would then be bobbing about on the surface waiting to be found.”
Former Titanic tourists, who have been in the Titan sub, said they had been told that there were seven ballasts that the craft could jettison to float to the top.
“Either they are bobbing on the surface and have no power, or something happened that overrode all seven of those ballast,” he said.
The expert’s assessment came at it emerged the sub wasn’t reported missing for eight hours.
On Saturday, Titan’s mothership, MV Polar Prince, set off from Newfoundland bound for the spot above the Titanic wreck, 370 miles away.
The submersible went into the water in the early hours of Sunday.
It lost contact with the Polar Prince at 9.45am - an hour and 45 minutes into the dive.
But it wasn’t reported as missing to the US Coast Guard until 5.40pm, eight hours later.
*Canada’s Coast Guard wasn’t alerted until after 9.13pm on Sunday night.
The US Coast Guard, which is leading the rescue, has searched an area “about the size of Connecticut”.
As the search continued, the unified command team also expanded its capabilities to search under the water.
US Coast Guard First District Commander Rear Admiral John Mauger said: “We have a commercial vessel that’s on the scene now that has remotely operated vehicles that will give us the ability to search under the water as well.”
The unified command is also using a P-3 aircraft from the Canadian Armed Forces, which has been flying during the last 24 hours, dropping sonar buoys to listen for any sounds from the submersible.
“We also have vessels on the scene now that [have] the capability to listen with their SONAR, and so if they are making sound, that’s certainly one of the ways that we’re going to use to locate,” Mauger added.
The Deep Energy, a Bahamas-flagged ship specialising in laying pipe and cables at depths of up to 3,000 metres, is helping search for the missing submersible.
Its owners, TechnipFMC - which operates from the UK and the US - said the ship arrived at the Titanic wreck site yesterday morning.
“The effort is being led by the United States Coast Guard with support from the Canadian Coast Guard,” the TechnipFMC statement said.
The Deep Energy carries two remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), which can dive to 3,000 metres.
They’re unmanned submersibles, operated from a control room on the mothership, and are tethered with 1,000 metre-long cables.
The wreckage of the Titanic lies at 3,800 metres (12,500 feet), so while that would be too deep for the submersibles - they may be able to help to locate the lost sub.
The French are also sending a vessel - which is equipped with a deep-sea robot - to help.
The Atalante should arrive in the search zone later today (Weds), the country’s maritime ministry said.
Experts have also urgently been dispatched to operate the robot for its dive.
OceanGate Expeditions was founded in 2009 to take wealthy explorers to see the Titanic, which hit an iceberg and sank in 1912.
The wreck was not located until 1985, when it was found 350 miles off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada.
Since then, well-heeled tourists have been visiting the wreck in incredibly strong submersibles although devoid of high-tech technology.
