A tourist submarine has gone missing while exploring the Titanic shipwreck in the Atlantic Ocean, according to authorities.. World-renowned explorer Hamish Harding is among one of five people missing.
The Boston Coast Guard said a search began on Monday for the small sub, which takes tourists to view the famous shipwreck that sits about 12,500 feet at the bottom of the ocean off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada, the BBC reported.
OceanGate, a tour firm which runs $250,000-a-seat expeditions to the wreck of the Titanic, said it was exploring all options to get the crew back safely.
OceanGate Expeditions
The Titanic, the largest ship of its time, sank in 1912 and is about 600km (370 miles) off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada.. Since 1985, it's been extensively explored It hit an iceberg on its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York in 1912 and more than than 1,500 died of the 2,200 passengers and crew onboard.
Titanic - NOAA
The missing craft is believed to be OceanGate's Titan submersible, a truck-sized sub that holds five people and usually dives with a four-day supply of oxygen. It weighs 10,432 kg (23,000 lbs) and, according to the website, can reach depths of up to 4,000m and has 96 hours of life support available for a crew of five.
The submersible usually carries a pilot, three paying guests, and what the company calls a "content expert". The full dive to the Titanic wreck usually takes about eight hours including descent and ascent. It is not known when contact with the craft was lost.
"Our entire focus is on the crewmembers in the submersible and their families," OceanGate said in a statement.
"We are deeply thankful for the extensive assistance we have received from several government agencies and deep sea companies in our efforts to re-establish contact with the submersible," it added.
According to its website, one expedition is ongoing and two more have been planned for June 2024.
Source: https://bit.ly/3XeNzT8
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