British divers Roger Mallison and Roger Chapman were working to lay an underwater telephone cable in the sea south of Ireland in 1973 when they found themselves on the seabed for several days.
according BBC the divers spent a total of 84 hours and 30 minutes in the “Pisces III” submarine.
The successful rescue operation is the deepest of its kind to date.
– Will lose consciousness
“Titan”, which is possibly located 3,800 meters deep in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Canada, will thus set a new record for deep-sea rescue operations if five on board is recorded at this depth.
The submarine, missing since Sunday, must have oxygen for 96 hours, until Thursday morning.
– Very scary
Mallinson says the Pisces III submarine was actually on the surface of the sea when the hatch was destroyed and they soaked up more than two tons of water. Then the two divers and the submarine sank into the darkness.
– It was very scary. We crashed to the bottom of the sea in 26 seconds, adds the 85-year-old Sky News.
The two remained at the bottom of the sea for three and a half days.
– It took 84 hours to save us. We were stuck at the bottom – completely flooded, he tells the channel.
Fateful day: – Very critical
A little trick saved the lives of both, he says.
– Fortunately, I had stolen an oxygen bottle before the dive. If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t be here.
Mallison describes very miserable conditions in the submarine.
– 84 hours is a very, very long time. We didn’t have enough food, enough oxygen or enough electricity, he said.
LITTLE TIME: Thursday morning, the submarine is in danger of running out of air. Photo: OceanGate Expeditions/Handout
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– Absolutely awful
As one of the few to have experienced something similar to the nightmare the five aboard “Titan” may go through, Mallison fears something terribly wrong has happened.
– It’s absolutely awful. I don’t understand why they didn’t send any signal. I have the awful feeling that something is seriously wrong, he tells Sky and adds:
– I would have thought that a hammer blow against the hull could send a message that could go far, said Mallinson.
On Wednesday night, it was learned that search teams must have heard knocking sounds while searching for the missing submarine on Tuesday.
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