Tourist Submarine “Titan” Missing Since Sunday While Exploring Titanic Wreck
One of the passengers aboard the Titan submersible is British billionaire and explorer Hamish Harding.
Subscribe to our Telegram channel or follow us on the Lumi News app for the latest stories and updates.
A search and rescue operation is underway in the mid-Atlantic after a tourist submarine went missing during a dive to Titanic’s wreck on Sunday.
According to the authorities, OceanGate Expeditions’ Titan submersible measuring 6.5 metres lost contact about an hour and 45 minutes into its dive.
BBC reported that the submersible can carry five passengers: a pilot, three paying guests, and a “content expert.”
One of the passengers in the missing submersible is Hamish Harding, a 58-year-old British billionaire businessman and explorer.
According to CNN, the other two passengers are a Pakistani father Shahzada Dawood, 48, and his 19-year-old son, Sulaiman Dawood.
The Dawood family is one of the richest families in Pakistan. Shahzada is a trustee of the SETI Institute in California and the vice chairman of Dawood Hercules Corporation, part of the Dawood Group.
Tour firm OceanGate said all options are being explored to rescue the five people onboard.
The Titanic wreck lies some 435 miles (700km) south of St John’s, Newfoundland, but the rescue mission is being run from Boston, Massachusetts.
Government agencies, the US and Canadian navies and commercial deep-sea firms are helping with the rescue operation.
The truck-sized Titan submersible usually dives with a four-day emergency supply of oxygen.
We anticipate there is somewhere between 70 and the full 96 hours available at this point.
Rear Adm John Mauger of the US Coast Guard
Two aircrafts, a submarine, and sonar buoys have been deployed to aid in the rescue operation.
Rear Adm Mauger said the area in which the search is taking place was remote so it’s making operations difficult.
He added that the rescue teams were “taking this personally” and were doing everything they could to bring the passengers home safely.
The First And Only Manned Mission To The Titanic in 2023
Before the expedition, Harding posted on social media that he was proud to finally announce that he was joining the mission to the Titanic wreck.
He said the mission was likely to be the first and only manned mission to the Titanic in 2023 due to the “worst winter in Newfoundland in 40 years.”
A weather window has just opened up and we are going to attempt a dive tomorrow.
Hamish Harding, British billionaire businessman and explorer
OceanGate said they were deeply thankful for the extensive assistance received from several government agencies and deep sea companies to help re-establish contact with the submersible.
The company billed the eight-day trip on its carbon-fibre submersible as a “chance to step outside of everyday life and discover something truly extraordinary.”
Based on the website, one expedition is ongoing and two more have been planned for June 2024.
— OceanGate Expeditions (@OceanGateExped) June 19, 2023
The Titan submersible
Tickets cost $250,000 (RM1,159,875) for an eight-day trip including dives to the Titanic wreck at a depth of 3,800m (12,500ft).
Each full dive to the wreck, including the descent and ascent, takes around eight hours.
The Titan vessel weighs 23,000 lbs (10,432kg) and can reach depths of up to 13,100 ft. It has 96 hours of life support for a crew of five.
The Titan is piloted using a Logitech gaming controller. Since it doesn’t have a GPS, it’s guided by text messages sent by the team above water.
The OceanGate website lists three submersibles it owns, but only the Titan is capable of diving deep enough to reach the Titanic wreckage.
A vessel called the Polar Prince, which is used to transport submersibles to the wreckage site, was involved in the expedition.
We've hit 1 million views of our short film "Titan – A Viewport to #Titanic"! Thank you for watching and we're glad you've enjoyed seeing the wreck through Titan's eyes as much as we do.
— OceanGate Expeditions (@OceanGateExped) March 22, 2023
Watch: https://t.co/cBhBocZvsG
Share your thoughts with us via TRP’s Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
