Ocean Gate Expeditions ship missing, US Coast Guard launches search
An aerial search was conducted in the Atlantic Ocean for the missing submarine, resulting in people inspecting the wreckage. Titanic However, overnight efforts to determine the fate of the ship will not completely stop.
The Joint Rescue Coordination Center in Halifax, Canada, said the ship was delayed at 9:13 p.m. Sunday (12:13 p.m. EDT Monday), about 700 kilometers south of St. John's, Newfoundland.
The surface lost contact with the submarine 1 hour and 45 minutes after the start of the voyage.
OceanGate Expeditions has confirmed the search for its five-seat sub, which was heading to the wreck of the Titanic. (Ocean Gate Tours)
Lieutenant Commander Lynn Hickey said a Canadian Coast Guard vessel and military aircraft are helping with the US Coast Guard's search operation in Boston.
The Coast Guard tweeted that the Polar Prince, the ship that brought the submarine to the dive site, will continue to search the surface during the evening, while the Canadian P8 Poseidon will resume surface and subsea searches in the morning.
Alistair Greig, professor of marine engineering at University College London, warned of the challenges that rescuers would face.
Submarines usually have a drop load, which is "a mass that can be released in an emergency to be brought to the surface by buoyancy," he said.
“If there was a power outage and/or communication failure, it could happen and the submarine would rock on the surface, waiting to be found,” Gregg said.
The Polar Prince towed the submarine to the crash site. (AP)
Another scenario, he says, is that there is a leak in the pressure structure, in which case the prognosis is poor.
“If you sink to the bottom of the sea and can’t get back under your own power, the options are very limited,” Gregg said.
"While a submarine may still be intact if it is off the continental shelf, very few ships can reach that depth, and certainly not divers."
Even if they could go that deep, he doubts they could be connected to the submarine's hatch.
OceanGate Expeditions confirmed it was searching for the sub with five people and said the focus is on those on board and their families.
“We are exploring and mobilizing all options for the safe return of the crew,” the company said in a statement to BBC News.
"All our attention is focused on the crew members of the submarine and their families."
David Concannon, a company consultant, said Oceangate lost contact with the submarine on Sunday morning.
He said in an email to The Associated Press on Monday afternoon (early Tuesday EST) that he has a 96-hour supply of oxygen.
"Now it's been 32 hours since he left the surface," said Concannon, who said he was supposed to be on a dive but was unable to go due to another client's order.
The Titanic was seen here in April 1912. Divers have made an amazing find near the wreckage of the Titanic. (Images from history/Universal)
On Monday evening (shortly before 7 a.m. Tuesday EST), U.S. Coast Guard Admiral John Mauger said the organization expects to have "anywhere from 70 to a full 96 hours" of available oxygen on board.
He said the search for the missing submarine was difficult because authorities searched both underwater and on the surface of the ocean so far.
Mauger, who confirmed there were five people on board, said the ship could have surfaced but may have lost contact with the cruise ship it was launched from.
OceanGate expeditions to the wreck of the Titanic include archaeologists and marine biologists.
Experts have warned of the problems of a potential rescue. (AP)
The company also recruits people who pay to attend, known as "mission specialists."
They take turns operating the sonar equipment and performing other tasks in the five-seat submersible.
On Monday, the Coast Guard said the pilot and four "mission specialists" were on board.
Mauger said C-130s were scouring the surface and two P-8s were using sonar to search for submarines.
He added that commercial vessels are also involved, and one of them has a sonar.
“Often we rely on commercial operators to be on-site first,” Moger said.
"So, we've contacted additional merchant ships operating in the area and have also begun moving additional Canadian Coast Guard and US Coast Guard assets into the area over the next few days."
US Coast Guard Admiral John Mauger. (AP)
Mauger said the US Coast Guard is also in contact with the US Navy and the Canadian military to determine available underwater life-saving equipment if necessary.
OceanGate is helping with the search and said it is "exploring and reviewing all options for the safe return of the crew."
Concannon said officials are working to get a remotely operated vehicle that can reach depths of 6,000 meters to the scene as soon as possible.
Action Aviation confirmed that its chairman, British billionaire businessman Hamish Harding, was among the tourists on board.
On Sunday, Action Aviation posted this photo of Hamish Harding to social media, saying the launch of the RMS Titanic Expedition Mission 5 was successful and the ship began its dive. (action fly)
The company's managing director, Mark Butler, told The Associated Press that the crew set off on Friday.
“Every attempt is being made to carry out a rescue operation. There is still time to facilitate the rescue operation and there is equipment on board to survive this event,” Butler said.
"We all hope and pray that he returns safely."
Harding is an adventurer who holds three Guinness World Records, including the record for the longest stay at full depth in a manned ship.
In March 2021, he and ocean explorer Victor Vescovo made a dive to the lowest depth of the Mariana Trench.
In June 2022, he launched into space aboard Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket.
The first group of tourists financed the expedition by spending between $100,000 and $150,000 ($146,000 to $219,000) per person.
The last flight was scheduled to depart from St. John's in the Canadian province of Newfoundland in early May and end in late June, according to court documents filed by the company in April in U.S. District Court in Virginia, presided over by the hearing. Mission Titanic.
A previous expedition captured footage from the Titanic in stunning detail. (Ocean Cruises)
Unlike submarines, which leave and return to port under their own power, submarines require a ship to launch and recover.
OceanGate has chartered the Canadian medium-capacity icebreaker Polar Prince, formerly of the Canadian Coast Guard, to transport dozens of people and a submersible to the crash site in the North Atlantic.
The five-seater submarine, whose name is Titan, is capable of diving to a distance of 4,000 meters.
“With a comfortable margin of safety,” OceanGate said in a court filing.
The company said it weighs 9,072kg in the air, but its ballast provides neutral buoyancy when it hits the seabed.
OceanGate Expeditions has confirmed the search for its five-seat sub that was heading for the Titanic wreck on Monday, June 19, 2023. (Ocean Gate Tours)
Made from "carbon fibers with titanium filaments", the Titan has proven its ability to withstand the immense pressure of the ocean depths, according to OceanGate.
OceanGate told the court that Titan's viewing window is "the largest of any deep-sea submarine" and that its technology provides "unprecedented visibility" of the ocean depths.
Chris Barry, a retired British naval admiral, told Sky News that the rescue operation was "a very complex operation."
“The real nature of the seabed is very undulating. The Titanic itself is in a trench,” he said.
“There is a lot of debris around. So trying to spread out with sonar in particular and trying to target the area you want to search with another submarine is really going to be very difficult.”
Chronology: how the expedition went
The Polar Prince leaves St. John's, Newfoundland with the Titan submarine on board.
"Polar Prince" arrives at the launch pad of the underwater vehicle
After 1 hour 45 minutes, communication with Titan was lost.
The message about the delay in the arrival of the ship was received at 21:13 local time (12:13 on Monday, Eastern Standard Time).
A rescue mission was launched with the participation of the US Coast Guard and the Canadian Coast Guard.
Admiral John Mauger of the US Coast Guard says the submarine has between 70 and 96 hours of oxygen left.
Five people were confirmed on board the submarine, including British billionaire Hamish Harding.
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