According to the US Coast Guard, there were four passengers and one pilot aboard a vessel that had the capability to submerge for 96 hours. However, it remained uncertain whether the vessel was still underwater or had resurfaced and lost communication.
To aid in the search efforts, US and Canadian ships and planes have gathered in the area approximately 900 miles (1,450 km) east of Cape Cod. Some of these resources have deployed sonar buoys, capable of monitoring depths of up to 13,000 feet (3,962 meters), as explained by Rear Admiral John Mauger of the US Coast Guard during a press conference on Monday. Mauger acknowledged the challenge of conducting a search in such a remote location and assured that all available assets were being deployed to locate the craft and rescue the individuals on board. Additional aircraft and vessels were expected to join the operation.
Efforts were also made to seek assistance from commercial vessels, while the private company operating the submarine, OceanGate Expeditions, expressed its commitment to exploring all options for the rescue operation. A social media post from a relative identified British billionaire Hamish Harding as one of the passengers.
The US Coast Guard reported on Twitter that the surface boat, the Polar Prince, lost contact with the submarine named Titan approximately one hour and 45 minutes after the dive towards the Titanic’s wreckage site began on Sunday morning.
OceanGate conveyed their gratitude for the extensive assistance received from various government agencies and deep-sea companies in their attempts to reestablish contact with the submersible.
Harding’s stepson initially posted on Facebook about his stepfather’s disappearance on the submarine and requested thoughts and prayers. However, the post was subsequently removed out of respect for the family’s privacy. Harding himself had announced his participation in the expedition on Facebook, but there have been no further updates from him. The expedition had set off to sea on Friday, with the first dive scheduled for Sunday morning, according to Harding’s post.
OceanGate’s website explains that the expeditions, which cost $250,000 per person, originate from St. John’s, Newfoundland, and travel approximately 400 miles (640 km) into the Atlantic Ocean to reach the Titanic’s wreckage site. Passengers board the Titan, a five-person submersible, to descend for around two hours, reaching depths of approximately 12,500 feet (3,800 m) where the Titanic rests.
The sinking of the British passenger ship in 1912 on its inaugural voyage after colliding with an iceberg is a well-known tragedy, resulting in the loss of over 1,500 lives. The story has been immortalized in both nonfiction and fiction literature, as well as the popular 1997 film ‘Titanic.’
