A submersible that was exploring the wreckage of the Titanic is missing with three people on board, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. The submersible, which is operated by OceanGate Expeditions, has been missing since Monday and has less than 40 hours of breathable air left.
The submersible was part of an eight-day expedition to the Titanic, which lies at the bottom of the ocean nearly 13,000 feet below the surface southeast of Newfoundland, Canada. The submersible began its descent on Sunday morning and lost contact with the support ship Polar Prince less than two hours later.
The Coast Guard is leading a search operation that involves aircraft, ships and underwater assets from the U.S., Canada and France. The search area is about 900 miles off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and covers a remote and challenging part of the North Atlantic.
The crew on board the submersible are Stockton Rush, CEO and founder of OceanGate; Hamish Harding, a British adventurer and businessman; Shahzada Dawood and Sulaiman Dawood, a Pakistani father and son; and Paul-Henri Nargeolet, a French diver and Titanic expert. Their families and friends have expressed hope and concern for their safety.
The submersible is designed to withstand the extreme pressure and temperature of the deep sea. It has a titanium hull, a carbon fiber dome and a life support system that can provide oxygen for up to 96 hours. It also has emergency beacons, flares and a locator pinger that can help rescuers find it.
OceanGate Expeditions is a company that offers deep sea exploration tours to scientists, researchers and adventurers. The company has been conducting expeditions to the Titanic since 2018 and plans to conduct more in the future. The company says its mission is to document and preserve the historic shipwreck for future generations.
