The president of the New York-based Explorers Club has accused the US government of delaying the delivery of vital equipment to search for the missing Titanic tourist submarine.
Richard Garriott told National Geographic that he has complained to top officials that bureaucracy is getting in the way of the race against time.
Two of the five on board – British billionaire Hamish Harding and French Titanic expert PH Nargeolet – are members of the Explorers Club.
Other members have been working to allow deep sea company Magellan, based in Guernsey in the British Isles, to transport its surveillance equipment to the site: Magellan has remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) that surveyed the Titanic site last year.
Garriott said Magellan did not obtain the necessary permits to get to the site. On Wednesday evening, a Coast Guard notice indicated that a Magellan ROV was underway.
Richard Garriott, president of the Explorers Club, on Wednesday accused the US government of delaying efforts to get equipment to the rescue site
A Magellan operated remotely operated vehicle (ROV) is shown in action
He wrote to Vice Admiral William Galanis, commander of Naval Sea Systems Command, Wednesday afternoon; US Coast Guard Rear Admiral John W. Mauger, who directs the salvage mission; Congressman Lloyd Doggett; and Rep. Eric Swalwell urged them to allow Magellan access to the site.
“Magellan has received mixed signals. First he heard from the US government to prepare, awaited plans – then he was told to resign,” Garriott wrote.
The US Coast Guard has not responded to ‘s request for comment.
Garriott told National Geographic that even with 24 hours of air left, it’s important to keep fighting to find the missing submarine.
“Whatever the right thing to do, we should do it anyway, even if it’s now on the brink of doom,” he said.
The missing Titan submersible from OceanGate Expeditions (pictured), one of the few companies offering tours for tickets priced at $250,000
The Magellan Argus-class ROVs can operate to depths of 6,000 meters (19,700 ft) and are equipped with external arms that can be used to retrieve and raise Titan.
They could be delivered to the construction site within 16 hours.
In lieu of Magellan’s ROVs, the US Navy sent its Flyaway Deep Ocean Salvage System, which was used to recover an F-35 from 12,400 feet in March.
But Garriott said there were fears the Navy’s equipment could destroy the capsule.
“The concern is that the big spoon will crush the hull because it would be almost impossible to get through in the mud underneath without putting pressure on the hull itself,” Garriott said.
“Instead, a 6,000-meter working-class ROV can be attached directly to the nose of the sub.”
“It’s a traditional method and people like Magellan have used it again and again. It’s the way it’s supposed to be done.”
Garriott’s concerns about the bureaucratic hurdles are consistent with those expressed Monday by OceanGate consultant David Concannon.
“We have to move.” We don’t have minutes or hours. “We have to move now,” he said.
“This equipment has been on the tarmac for hours.”
“When I communicate with the US government, I get ‘out of office’ replies – not from everyone, but from key individuals who agree.”
He told NewsNation, “This is unacceptable.”
This is the latest sighting of the Titan submersible, which was launched on Sunday. It can be seen in a photo shared by Hamish Harding’s company. He and the four others on board remain missing
David Concannon, an advisor to OceanGate, was due to board the Titanic expedition on Sunday, but a last-minute scheduling issue meant he was unavailable. He said vital rescue equipment was being withheld by US bureaucracy
The machines needed for the rescue operation (pictured) are currently waiting to be transported from the British island of Guernsey
Concannon said the plane (above) needed an urgent permit to be flown to the site
Concannon, who has previously led an expedition and made several dives to the Titanic site, was supposed to be the expert on OceanGate’s trip to the wreck on Sunday – but a customer emergency kept him ashore.
He said every minute counts in the race to search and recover the submarine.
“If we fly the funds in overnight from the Guernsey Channel Islands, we can mobilize them on the ship within a day and get there within the window.”
“Now it’s at the end of the window, but we can get inside the window to where there’s still oxygen in the sub, and that’s what we want to do.”
The US Coast Guard is now looking for the missing ship. The wreck of the iconic ship lies 12,500 feet underwater about 370 miles from Newfoundland, Canada
The red circle shows the site of the Titanic shipwreck and a fleet of boats and planes are en route to assist in the rescue effort
Rescue teams are racing against time and air to find the Titan Five – the people trapped on a submersible at the site of the Titanic shipwreck. The Titan was launched Sunday morning and lost contact with the surface within two hours.
Billionaire Hamish Harding, French explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, and Shahzada Dawood, 48, a UK-based board member of the Prince’s Trust charity, and his son Sulaiman Dawood, 19, are said to be the people who are able sub.
Massive efforts involving several countries are currently underway to save the occupation.
Late Tuesday, rescuers reported hearing “popping noises.” The Explorers Club reported that “probably signs of life have been detected.”