Rescuers race against time to find submersible visiting Titanic wreck

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Ex-British Navy officer reveals 'concerning timescales' of missing Titanic sub

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A rescue operation was underway deep in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean in search of a submersible vessel carrying five people to observe the wreckage of the Titanic.

British billionaire explorer Hamish Harding and renowned French diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet are feared to be on board the missing Titanic tourist submarine somewhere in the depths of the Atlantic Ocean.

On Monday afternoon, Rear Adm John Mauger of the US Coast Guard said: “We anticipate there is somewhere between 70 and the full 96 hours available at this point.”

The craft submerged Sunday morning, and its support vessel, the Canadian research icebreaker Polar Prince, lost contact with it about an hour and 45 minutes later, authorities said.

OceanGate Expeditions, a company offering eight-day missions to see the Titanic debris at a cost of $250,000 per person, confirmed that its submarine was lost at sea with crew members on board.

The company’s chief executive, Stockton Rush, previously described the craft as “rock solid”, is also believed to be on board.

The company said in a statement that it is “exploring and mobilising all options to bring the crew back safely.”

Recommended

• Where is the Titanic wreckage?
• ‘I was wowed’: Why adventurers flocked to take OceanGate’s $250k Titantic expedition, before tragedy hit
• A day without contact and crew members aboard. Missing Titanic shipwreck sub faces race against time
• British billionaire and renowned French diver among those stranded on Titanic tourist submarine
• Fantastically lucrative voyage: Inside the surreal, sensitive and occasionally grotesque world of Titanic tourism

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Map of the location of the Titanic shipwreck

Graeme Massie20 June 2023 09:011687261541

Inside the Titanic-spotting submarine missing in the Atlantic:

A rescue operation is underway in the North Atlantic after a submarine touring the wreck of HMS Titanic went missing with five people on board.

OceanGate Expeditions offers missions to tour the debris of the luxury liner which sank in 1912 and was only rediscovered in 1985 – at a cost of $250,000 (£195k) per person. The company confirmed on Monday that its sub was lost at sea and the search for the vessel is underway.

Read the full story about what it’s like inside Titan:

Inside Titanic-spotting submarine missing in the Atlantic with five people onboard

OceanGate Expeditions offers tours of the wreck of the Titanic for $250,000 per person but vessel has vanished and passengers are fast running out of air

Rachel Sharp20 June 2023 12:451687260600

WATCH: What happened to the Titan tourist submersible?

Missing Titanic submarine: What happened to the Titan tourist submersible?Rachel Sharp20 June 2023 12:301687259700

Expert reveals challenges of underwater search

An expert has revealed the challenges of the underwater search for the submersible which lost contact while visiting the wreck of the Titanic.

Dr Jamie Pringle, Reader in Forensic Geosciences at Keele University, UK, said in a statement to The Independent: “Aquatic search is pretty tricky, as the ocean floor is a lot more rugged than on land, and water isn’t homogenous either – there are different stratified levels of water and currents.

“A typical land search for a missing person or vehicle would move outwards radially from the last known position. This is how this search is also likely being conducted.

“Techniques vary, but in that water depth, a sonar search system would need to be specialised to a very narrow beam but high enough frequency in order to resolve a small submersible.

“The MH370 downed plane, lost in 2014, had a very large search radius and still hasn’t been solved. This search should be a much smaller search radius, as the submersible was reportedly on a relatively simple down and up dive.”

Rachel Sharp20 June 2023 12:151687258800

US Coast Guard says area where sub went missing is ‘remote’

During a press conference on Monday afternoon, Rear Admiral John Mauger, commander of the First US Coast Guard District said they were doing all they can to find the submersible but the area it went missing in was going to be challenging.

“The location of the search is approximately 900 miles east of Cape Code in a water depth of roughly 13,000 feet. It is a remote area and it is a challenge to conduct a search in that remote area but we are deploying all available assets to make sure we can locate the craft and rescue the people on board,” Mr Mauger said.

Due to the type of watercraft the submersible is, the Coast Guard has to search both surface level and underwater as it could be in either place.

Graeme Massie20 June 2023 12:001687257900

WATCH: Ex-British Navy officer reveals 'concerning timescales' of missing Titanic sub

Ex-British Navy officer reveals 'concerning timescales' of missing Titanic subRachel Sharp20 June 2023 11:451687257000

OceanGate adviser slams US government for holding up rescue efforts for missing Titanic sub due to paperwork

An OceanGate Expeditions adviser has slammed the US government for allegedly holding up efforts to rescue the five passengers on board the missing Titanic tourist sub – because of official paperwork.

David Concannon, an attorney and explorer who had a lucky escape when he pulled out of the adventure at the last minute, told NewsNation on Monday night that critical equipment that could help recover the missing Titan Vessel is currently thousands of miles away in the Guernsey Channel Islands.

The equipment is ready and waiting to be sent to the Atlantic Ocean to help find the missing sub, but can’t go anywhere until the US government authorises it.

“(They are) the same group, the experts, that did the advanced survey of the Titanic last year,” he said.

“They are mobilised. They’re sitting on the tarmac, ready to go. We have a ship off Newfoundland that is ready to take them to the site.”

While the five people on board are in a race for their lives, he said that the officials needed to sign off the rescue equipment aren’t showing the same level of urgency.

“This equipment has been on the tarmac for hours. When I communicate with the U.S. government, I get ‘out of office’ replies, not from everyone, but from key people that have a signoff on this,” he said.

“That’s unacceptable. I don’t want to discourage the government officials that are helping because they’re doing their jobs, but we need to do it quicker.”

With the clock ticking until the vessel runs out of oxygen, Mr Concannon hammered home that there isn’t the time to waste.

“We need to move. We do not have minutes or hours. We need to move now,” he said.

He added: “We have people whose lives are at stake. You have to move. We have assets that are ready to go and they’re sitting and waiting.”

Rachel Sharp20 June 2023 11:301687256100

A look into Titanic tourism

The missing submersible has prompted interest into what people are looking for when they decide to embark on a pricy and potentially dangerous tour to view the wreckage of the Titanic.

A look back at The Independent’s reporting from 2020 into deep-sea tourism around the Titanic.

Tourists can visit Titanic shipwreck in 2021 – but it will cost £90,000

Six dives are taking place between May and September

Graeme Massie20 June 2023 11:151687255200

Where is the Titanic wreckage?

Ariana Baio20 June 2023 11:001687254300

IN PICTURES: The missing Titan submarine

Rachel Sharp20 June 2023 10:45

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