PORTLAND, Maine—The cost of the unprecedented search for the missing Titan submersible will easily stretch into the millions of dollars, experts said Friday.
The massive international effort by aircraft, surface ships, and deep-sea robots began on June 18 when the Titan was reported missing. Searchers raced against a 96-hour clock in the desperate hope to find and rescue the vessel’s occupants before their oxygen supply ran out.
But all hope was extinguished on June 22 when officials announced the submersible had suffered a catastrophic implosion, killing all five aboard.
A scaled-back search remained in place as the robots—remotely operated vehicles, known as ROVs—continued to scan the sea floor for evidence that might shed light on what occurred in the deep waters of the North Atlantic….