A search is underway off the east coast of North America for a small submarine with five people on board that has begun diving into the wreck of the Titanic. According to the operator, the oxygen on board is enough for 96 hours.
A search is underway off the Canadian coast in the North Atlantic for a missing submarine that was supposed to take tourists to the wreck of the Titanic. This has been confirmed by Ocean Gate Expeditions and the US Coast Guard.
The rescue co-ordination center in Halifax, Canada, said the boat, with a capacity of five, was reported on Sunday evening. A Canadian Coast Guard vessel and military aircraft assisted in the search, which was led by the US Coast Guard in Boston.
“We are completely focused on the crew members of the submarine and their families,” said Ocean Jet Expeditions. Many governments and companies have supported the research and efforts to restore submarine contact.
Oxygen on board for 96 hours
The company’s advisor, David Concannon, said they lost contact with the submarine Sunday morning. She had oxygen on board for 96 hours. “It’s been 32 hours since the submarine left the surface,” Concannon said. Was supposed to be on a dive but had to cancel due to another issue.
Authorities were working to get a remote-controlled vehicle capable of reaching a depth of 6,000 meters to the submarine as quickly as possible.
British businessman on board
Action Aviation confirmed that its boss, British businessman Hamish Harding, was among the tourists on board. Chief Executive Mark Butler told the Associated Press news agency that the group collapsed on Friday. “There is still enough time to enable a rescue operation and there are equipment on board to survive the event,” Butler said. “We all hope and pray that he will return safe and well.”
A retired British naval admiral, Chris Barry, told Sky News that the rescue operation was very difficult. The sea floor is very uneven and the Titanic is in a hole. “So trying to discern, especially with sonar, and target the area you want to search with another submarine would be very difficult.”
Expedition up to $150,000
The company has begun planning annual expeditions to the wreck of the Titanic, which sank in 1912 after hitting an iceberg, in 2021 to document the ocean liner’s disintegration. About 1,500 people died in the sinking.
The wreck was discovered in 1985 and is full of metal-eating bacteria. Some experts predict that in a few decades the ship may disappear completely, and there are already holes in the hull.
The first group of tourists funded the expedition from $100,000 to $150,000 per person. This year’s Ocean Gate cruise was the third on a sunken ship.