VOA新闻杂志2023--Submarine Aiming to Visit Titanic Goes Missing

Rescuers are racing¹ Tuesday to find a missing submarine in the northern Atlantic Ocean before the oxygen supply runs out for five people inside.

The submarine Titan was on a mission to document the wreckage³ of the Titanic⁴, a huge passenger ship that sank in 1912.

The submarine's Canadian support ship, the Polar Prince, reportedly lost contact with the vehicle about one hour and 45 minutes after it started its dive on Sunday.

Rescuers with Canada's Joint⁵ Rescue Coordination⁶ Center said they are searching in an area about 700 kilometers south of St. John's, Newfoundland. People involved said the search is urgent because the small submersible has only a 96-hour supply of oxygen. They estimate the oxygen supply could run out on Thursday morning.

The Associated Press (AP) reports that the Polar Prince was 690 kilometers southeast of St. John's early Tuesday. Another ship, the Deep Energy, was nearby, possibly assisting in the search. Canadian and U.S. Coast Guard aircraft are also involved.

Rear Admiral John Mauger, a commander for the U.S. Coast Guard said, "It is a remote area—and it is a challenge to conduct a search in that remote area."

OceanGate Expeditions said those aboard reportedly include British businessman Hamish Harding, Pakistani-born Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman. Also, reportedly on the vehicle were 77-year-old French explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet and Stockton Rush, the chief of OceanGate Expeditions. However, officials have not confirmed who was on the Titan.

CBS News reporter David Pogue traveled aboard the Titan last year. He said the submarine uses two communication systems: text messages and safety sounds called pings every 15 minutes to let the support ship know that it is still working.

Both of those systems stopped about an hour and 45 minutes after the Titan went underwater.

"There are only two things that could mean. Either they lost all power or the ship developed a hull⁷ breach⁸ and it imploded¹⁰ instantly," Pogue told CBC on Tuesday.

Alistair Grieg is a professor of marine² engineering at University College London. He said if there were problems in the middle of the dive, the pilot would have released weights so the vehicle would float to the surface. But, without operating communications, it would be very hard to find a small vehicle in the Atlantic Ocean.

The Titanic shipwreck¹¹, which the pilot and passengers were aiming to visit, rests at a depth of about 3,800 meters.

Words in This Story

remote –adj. far away from civilization or from land

challenge –n. a difficult job or task

conduct –v. to plan or do an activity that is complex

breach –v. to make a hole or opening in something that is normally enclosed

implode⁹ –v. to collapse inwardly; to be crushed

1 racing   

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

参考例句：

• I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
• The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。

2 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

3 wreckage   

n.（失事飞机等的）残骸，破坏，毁坏

参考例句：

• They hauled him clear of the wreckage.他们把他从形骸中拖出来。
• New states were born out of the wreckage of old colonial empires.新生国家从老殖民帝国的废墟中诞生。

4 titanic   

adj.巨人的，庞大的，强大的

参考例句：

• We have been making titanic effort to achieve our purpose.我们一直在作极大的努力，以达到我们的目的。
• The island was created by titanic powers and they are still at work today.台湾岛是由一个至今仍然在运作的巨大力量塑造出来的。

5 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

6 coordination   

n.协调，协作

参考例句：

• Gymnastics is a sport that requires a considerable level of coordination.体操是一项需要高协调性的运动。
• The perfect coordination of the dancers and singers added a rhythmic charm to the performance.舞蹈演员和歌手们配合得很好，使演出更具魅力。

7 hull   

n.船身；(果、实等的)外壳；vt.去(谷物等)壳

参考例句：

• The outer surface of ship's hull is very hard.船体的外表面非常坚硬。
• The boat's hull has been staved in by the tremendous seas.小船壳让巨浪打穿了。

8 breach   

n.违反，不履行；破裂；vt.冲破，攻破

参考例句：

• We won't have any breach of discipline.我们不允许任何破坏纪律的现象。
• He was sued for breach of contract.他因不履行合同而被起诉。

9 implode   

v.内爆，剧减

参考例句：

• The engine imploded.发动机内爆了。
• He has nightmares about the tanks imploding.他老是做油箱爆炸的噩梦。

10 imploded   

v.（使）向心聚爆( implode的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The economies of Brazil and Russia imploded in 1998. 巴西与俄罗斯的经济在1998年宣告破裂。 来自互联网
• A startling number of his nominees for senior positions have imploded. 他所提名的高级官员被否决的数目令人震惊。 来自互联网

11 shipwreck   

n.船舶失事，海难

参考例句：

• He walked away from the shipwreck.他船难中平安地脱险了。
• The shipwreck was a harrowing experience.那次船难是一个惨痛的经历。