A French robot, capable of descending to depths of 20,000 feet (6,000 meters), is being deployed to assist in locating a tourist submersible that disappeared during its descent to the Titanic wreckage. This highly advanced unmanned robot, known as Victor 6000, possesses remote-controlled arms designed to cut cables and perform intricate manoeuvres that could potentially free a trapped vessel, according to the operator.
Olivier Lefort, the head of naval operations at Ifremer, the French ocean research institute operating the robot, clarified that while Victor is unable to lift the submarine independently, it can assist in attaching the 10-tonne submersible, named Titan, to a vessel capable of hoisting it to the surface.
Titan disappeared with five individuals on board shortly after commencing its descent to the depth of the Titanic wreck, which lies approximately 12,500 feet (3,810 meters) below the surface. Lefort emphasized that Victor’s array of video equipment enables it to conduct thorough visual exploration, while its manipulator arms could potentially extricate the submersible by severing obstructing cables or other impediments.
Ifremer, which played a significant role in the discovery of the Titanic wreck in 1985 alongside American underwater archaeologist Robert Ballard, has a deep-rooted connection to this latest mission. French explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, aged 77, reportedly among the occupants of the missing submersible, had previously worked at Ifremer and piloted their flagship Nautile submarine used in the examination of the Titanic wreck. At the behest of the U.S. Navy, Ifremer dispatched the Atalante ship along with its cutting-edge robot.
Canadian aircraft equipped for submarine detection, as confirmed by the U.S. Coast Guard, detected noises in the area where the submersible vanished. U.S. media reports suggested these sounds included intermittent banging occurring at 30-minute intervals.
