Titanic Tourist Submersible Goes Missing With Search Underway

After a tourist submarine vanished on Sunday on a dive to the Titanic’s remains, a powerful search and rescue effort is underway in the middle of the Atlantic.

The US Coast Guard said that contact with the tiny submarine was lost around an hour and a half into its descent.

According to the tour company OceanGate, every possibility was considered to save the five aboard.

Tickets for an eight-day tour that includes dives to the wreck at a depth of 3,800m (12,500ft) cost $250,000 (£195,000).

According to authorities, the rescue effort is being assisted by governmental organizations, the US and Canadian navies, and commercial deep-sea companies.

The Titanic’s wreck is located around 435 miles (700 km) south of St. John’s, Newfoundland, yet Boston, Massachusetts, is responsible for the rescue effort.

OceanGate’s Titan submarine, a truck-sized sub that can seat five people and often dives with a four-day emergency supply of oxygen, is thought to be the missing vessel.

At a press conference on Monday afternoon, US Coast Guard Rear Adm John Mauger stated: “We anticipate there is somewhere between 70 and the full 96 hours available at this point.”

He said that two planes, a submarine, and sonar buoys were all used as part of the search for the vessel. However, he observed that since the search is conducted in a “remote” location, it is difficult to conduct operations there.

Rear Adm Mauger said that the rescue personnel was “taking this personally” and was doing all in their power to get everyone on board “home safe”.

According to his family, Hamish Harding, a 58-year-old wealthy British businessman and adventurer, is one of the people aboard the missing submarine.

On social media over the weekend, Mr. Harding posted that he was “proud to finally announce” that he would be traveling on the Titanic expedition, but he also noted that due to the “worst winter in Newfoundland in 40 years, this mission is likely to be the first and only manned mission to the Titanic in 2023”

Later on, he wrote: “A weather window has just opened up and we are going to attempt a dive tomorrow.”

OceanGate said, “the crew members in the submersible and their families [were] the sole focus.”

The statement said that our attempts to re-establish communication with the submersible have been greatly helped by many government organizations and deep sea firms.

The firm describes the eight-day journey aboard the carbon-fiber submersible as a “chance to step outside of everyday life and discover something truly extraordinary.”

According to the website, one trip is still in progress, and two more have been scheduled for June 2024.

Titan Submersible

A pilot, three paying passengers, and someone the corporation calls a “content expert” are typically aboard the submersible.

The journey departs from St. John’s, Newfoundland. According to reports, each complete dive to the wreck, including the descent and ascent, takes around eight hours.

Only the Titan’s ability to dive deep enough to reach the Titanic debris is listed among OceanGate’s three submersibles on its website.

According to the website, the ship weights 23,000 lbs (10,432 kg), can go up to 13,100 ft below the surface, and has 96 hours of crew life support.

Polar Prince Expedition to Titanic Wreck Site

The Titan submersible’s crew and the land crew are likely to be having problems, according to CBS reporter David Pogue, who traveled in the Titan submersible last year. Pogue said there is currently “no way” to communicate with the ship because neither GPS nor radio “work under water.”

They can exchange quick text messages while the support ship is immediately over the sub. They are no longer receiving a response, according to Mr. Pogue.

He said, “There’s no way to escape, even if you ascend to the surface by yourself, since the passengers were locked within the vessel by bolts placed from the exterior. You cannot exit the sub without a crew letting you out from the outside.

The Titanic, the largest ship of its time, hit an iceberg on its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York in 1912. More than 1,500 of the 2,200 passengers and workers on board perished.

Since it was found in 1985, the wreckage has been thoroughly investigated.

The bow and stern of the wreck are separated from one another by around 2,600 feet. A vast field of wreckage surrounds the wrecked vessel.

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