Titanic: Shocking graphic reveals just how deep the missing sub could be

A shocking graphic has revealed how the missing Titanic submersible could be stuck on the ocean floor in waters more than twice as deep as the Grand Canyon. 

Authorities raised the alarm on Sunday when an OceanGate Titan vessel vanished less than two hours into its venture towards the historic shipwreck.

One of Pakistan‘s richest men, Shahzada Dawood, is aboard the vessel alongside his son Suleman, billionaire Hamish Harding, Stockton Rush and Paul-Henry Nargeolet.

Now, rescuers are in a race against time to find them, with their oxygen supply due to run out within the next 50 hours.  

But just how far into the deep blue could they be?

Famous landmarks that are known for their height pale in comparison to the depth of the Titanic, with the Statue of Liberty just 305ft, the Eiffel Tower just 1,083ft and the Empire State Building at 1,250ft

The sub, is owned and operated by OceanGate Expeditions, and had launched its £195,000-a-head ($248,094) tour to Titanic’s shipwreck from the coast of Newfoundland, Canada, at 2:30am EST (7:30am GMT) on Sunday.

It’s understood that Titan communicates with those on the surface by sending an alert to its mothership, the Polar Prince, every 15 minutes.

The five passengers on board last ‘pinged’ the mothership at 10am EST (3pm GMT) on Monday, while directly above their destination of the Titanic. 

This could indicate that they are now somewhere on the ocean floor, with the wreckage split in two halves at around 12,500ft (3,800m) below the surface.

To put this into comparison, MailOnline has created a graphic showing how this depth compares to famously tall structures. 

It reveals how landmarks that are famous for their height pale in comparison to this – with the Statue of Liberty at just 305ft (106m), the Eiffel Tower at 1,083ft (316m) and the Empire State Building at 1,250ft (411m).

Even the UAE’s Burj Khalifa – the world’s tallest building – looks tiny against the depths of the North Atlantic, at a height of 2,217ft (675m).

And the vast Grand Canyon is no different at 6,000ft (1,828m) – less than half the depth of the Titanic’s wreckage.

Authorities raised the alarm on Sunday when an OceanGate Titan vessel that vanished less than two hours into its venture towards the historic shipwreck

The Boston Coast Guard is now looking for the missing vessel. The wreckage of the iconic ship sits 12,500ft underwater around 370 miles from Newfoundland, Canada 

Among those taking part in the expedition is billionaire Hamish Harding, CEO of Action Aviation in Dubai. He excitedly posted to social media about being there on Sunday

French Navy veteran PH Nargeolet (left) is  believed to be taking part in the expedition,  along with Stockton Rush (right), CEO of the OceanGate Expedition

One of Pakistan’s richest men, Shahzada Dawood, is aboard alongside his son Suleman

Sulaiman Dawood, 19, is also aboard the missing submersive in the North Atlantic

On average, submarines can venture to around a maximum of 1,476ft (450m), according to Marine Insight, which is just over the height of Chicago’s Willis Tower.

But OceanGate’s Titan submersible is designed to reach depths nearly 800 per cent greater than this, at a maximum of 13,123 ft (4,000m).

While this beats the depth of the North Atlantic seabed, experts fear it may be too far for a US Navy sub to reach, with its capabilities limited to just 2,000ft (609m).

As a result, remotely operated vehicles may be the only alternative to rescue them – reaching maximum depths of 20,000ft (6,096m). 

David Gallo, who owns the salvage rights to the Titanic’s wreck site, told CNN: ‘One of the biggest things is where is it? Is it on the bottom, is it floating, is it mid-water? 

‘That is something that has not been determined yet… We will have to wait and see and hope for the best.

‘The water is very deep – two miles plus. It’s like a visit to another planet, it’s not what people think it is. It is a sunless, cold environment and high pressure.’