June 19, 2023 8:37pm EDT
Former Navy officer, US congressman calls for deployment of nuclear sub to search for missing Titanic tour
The tourist submersible went missing Sunday with five people on board
By Brandon Gillespie | Fox News
EXCLUSIVE: A U.S. congressman who served as a nuclear submarine officer in the U.S. Navy is calling for the force to take action in the search for a missing tourist submersible destined for the wreckage of the Titanic that disappeared on Sunday.
"I have 500 days at sea on a submarine, so my heart really goes out to the missing crewmen and their families. The United States Navy needs to step up and do everything possible to help locate that submarine as quickly as possible," Rep. Brandon Williams, R-N.Y., told Fox News Digital Monday evening.
The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) confirmed to Fox earlier in the day that they were currently searching for a lost Titan submersible. Tourists can charter the small craft for visits to the Titanic through OceanGate Expeditions (OGE), which recently announced new mission crews for a North Atlantic trip on social media.
"We have the best sonar operators in the world, we have the best sonar equipment in the world, and locating the missing submarine is the first step to recovering the crew—time is against us. The United States Navy, I hope, is offering all assistance necessary," Williams said.
Williams, who joined the Navy in 1991, volunteered to serve as a nuclear submarine officer and went through the Navy's grueling nuclear engineering training. He completed six strategic-deterrent patrols aboard the USS Georgia, serving as the Strategic Missile Officer, before leaving the military in 1996.
He stressed the need to avoid wasting time in rescuing the lost submersible in a Tweet he posted earlier Monday.
"[U.S. Navy] —deploy a nuclear submarine to find our civilian friends [OceanGate Expeditions]. Don’t wait, get the best sonar operators in the world in a position to help rescue the lost submersible and it’s crew, while there is still hope!" he wrote.
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https://www.foxnews.com/politics/former-navy-officer-us-congressman-calls-deployment-nuclear-sub-search-lost-titanic-tour