A submersible that takes tourists to view the Titanic shipwreck is reportedly missing, causing the Boston Coast Guard to begin a search-and-rescue mission.
The Boston Coast Guard said Monday that the submersible went missing in the Atlantic Ocean and five people were on board.
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Small submersibles are used to take tourists to see the wreckage of the Titanic, which sits about 12,500 feet beneath the surface of the Atlantic and is about 370 miles off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada.
The RMS Titanic, operated by the White Star Line, sunk on its maiden voyage across the Atlantic Ocean in 1912 after it struck an iceberg. More than 1,500 people died, while some managed to escape on lifeboats. The wreckage was not discovered until 1985.
The U.S. Coast Guard tweeted on Monday that a C-130 crew was searching for an “overdue Canadian research submarine” using a P-8 Poseidon aircraft that has underwater detection capabilities. The submersible submerged on Sunday morning, and the crew lost contact with the main research vessel almost two hours after it dived.
“The @USCG is searching for a 21-foot submersible from the Canadian research vessel Polar Prince. The 5 person crew submerged Sunday morning, and the crew of the Polar Prince lost contact with them approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes into the vessel’s dive,” it said.
The @USCG is searching for a 21-foot submersible from the Canadian research vessel Polar Prince.
The 5 person crew submerged Sunday morning, and the crew of the Polar Prince lost contact with them approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes into the vessel’s dive.
— USCGNortheast (@USCGNortheast) June 19, 2023
The Titanic has been a site for both tourist and scientific voyages over the years. For example, a company called OceanGate Expeditions has sent civilian teams to the Titanic in the last few years, touting “Mission 3” and “Mission 4” teams on Thursday. The Washington Examiner reached out to the company for comment.
In a statement to the BBC, OceanGate confirmed the submersible belonged to the company and said it was “exploring and mobilizing all options” to bring the crew members back safely. The organization did not specify how many members were on board. The company’s website states that the submersibles used in the diving missions hold five crew members.
“Our entire focus is on the crewmembers in the submersible and their families,” OceanGate said, adding that it has received “extensive assistance” from “several government agencies and deep sea companies” in its efforts to reestablish forms of contact with the submersible.
“We are working toward the safe return of the crewmembers,” the company said.
Despite being in the middle of the North Atlantic, we have the internet connection we need to make our #Titanic dive operations a success – thank you @Starlink! pic.twitter.com/sujBmPr3JD
— OceanGate Expeditions (@OceanGateExped) June 1, 2023
Guests can pay $250,000 to take a submersible, called the Titan, to take them to the ocean floor where the Titanic resides for a 10-day exploration with eight days at sea, according to a tourist brochure. To join the OceanGate Expeditions as a “mission specialist,” civilians must be at least 18 years old at the beginning of the voyage and must have “basic strength,” be able to board small boats, and “be comfortable in dynamic environments where plans and timetables may change,” per the application.
Rear Adm. John Mauger, U.S. Coast Guard First District commander, said in an interview with Fox News’s America Reports that the Coast Guard’s thoughts and prayers are with the crew members and their families.
“We are working as hard as possible, bringing all assets to bear to try and find the submersible,” Mauger said.
Submersibles like the one missing are designed to surface should there be any technical problems and carry 96 hours of life support. However, Mauger said he wouldn’t speculate on the damage that the submersible might have sustained to prevent it from surfacing.
He said the U.S. federal government and Canadian Armed Forces are helping to assist with the search, as well as a research vessel within several hours of transit of the missing submersible. Air, underwater, and surface methods and crafts are being used to find the missing vessel, Mauger said.
If the submersible is found submerged, he said the Coast Guard would need to rely on additional assistance from the U.S. Navy and Canadian Coast Guard, or even from the private industry, to carry out an underwater rescue for lives that are “potentially at risk.”
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“I think at this point, you know, we’re bringing all assets to bear on this problem because we don’t know if the vessels are on the surface or subsurface,” Mauger said. “The good news is, as you’ve talked about, is that this particular submersible is advertised to have 96 hours of survival time — I think that’s based on the amount of oxygen that’s available in the capsule.”
“This is on the site of a wreckage, the wreckage of the Titanic,” Mauger added. “And so there’s a lot of debris on the bottom. And locating an object on the bottom will be difficult. But we will bring all assets to bear that we can to try and find that submersible and rescue the crew members.”
