UPDATED 6/20 4:45 A.M.
(Reuters) – A submersible taking wealthy tourists to visit the site of the Titanic wreckage in deep waters off the coast of Canada was missing for a third day on Tuesday, as U.S. and Canadian ships and planes swept a huge area trying to find the vessel.
One pilot and four passengers were on board the submersible that went missing on Sunday, the U.S. Coast Guard said, adding the vessel could stay underwater for up to 96 hours, although it was unclear if it had resurfaced but was unable to communicate.
Those aboard the submersible called Titan, the highlight of a tourist expedition that costs $250,000 per person, included British billionaire Hamish Harding and Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood with his son. French media also reported that 77-year-old French explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet was on board.
“We are very grateful for the concern being shown by our colleagues and friends and would like to request everyone to pray for their safety,” Dawood’s family said on Tuesday.
U.S. and Canadian ships and planes began swarming the area on Monday about 900 miles (1,450 km) east of Cape Cod, some dropping sonar buoys that can monitor to a depth of 13,000 feet (3,962 metres), U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral John Mauger said.
“We are deploying all available assets to make sure that we can locate the craft and rescue the people on board,” he told reporters on Monday. “It is a remote area and it is a challenge to conduct a search in that remote area.”
He said officials had asked commercial vessels to help.
The wreckage of the Titanic that sank in 1912 after hitting an iceberg lies at about 12,500 feet (3,810 metres). The Titan submersible usually takes two hours to descend to the wreck.
OceanGate Expeditions, the private company that operates the submersible, said it was “mobilizing all options” to rescue those aboard the Titan.
The U.S. Coast Guard said on Twitter that a boat on the surface – the Polar Prince – lost contact with the submersible about one hour and 45 minutes after it began diving toward to the site of the Titanic’s wreckage on Sunday.
Harding’s stepson wrote on Facebook that Harding had “gone missing on submarine” and asked for “thoughts and prayers”, but later removed the post citing respect for the family’s privacy.
BILLIONAIRE ABOARD
Harding, a UAE-based businessman and adventurer who is chairman of Action Aviation, had posted on Facebook that he would be aboard the submersible.
The expedition headed out to sea on Friday, and the first dive was set for Sunday morning, according to Harding’s post.
Fellow tourist, Dawood, is the vice chairman of one of Engro Corporation, one of Pakistan’s largest conglomerates with investments ranging from fertilisers and energy to vehicle manufacturing.
SETI, the California-based research institute of which he is a trustee, said on its website that Dawood lives in Britain with his wife and two children.
The expeditions start in St. John’s, Newfoundland, before heading out approximately 400 miles (640 km) into the Atlantic to the wreckage site, according to OceanGate’s website.
The British passenger ship sank on its maiden voyage, killing more than 1,500 people, a tragedy that has been immortalized in books and films, including the 1997 blockbuster movie “Titanic.”
(Reporting by Joseph Ax and Kanishka Singh in Washington, Ismail Shakil and Ariba Shahid in Karachi; Editing by Edmund Blair and Janet Lawrence)
UPDATED 5:10 P.M.
(Reuters) -U.S. and Canadian ships and planes searched on Monday for a submarine that went missing more than a day earlier off the coast of southeastern Canada while taking tourists to explore the wreckage of the Titanic, officials said.
The U.S. Coast Guard said there was one pilot and four passengers on board and that the vessel had the capacity to be submerged for 96 hours, but it was unclear whether it was still underwater or had surfaced and was unable to communicate.
U.S. and Canadian ships and planes have swarmed the area about 900 miles (1,450 km) east of Cape Cod, some dropping sonar buoys that can monitor to a depth of 13,000 feet (3,962 meters), U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral John Mauger told reporters on Monday.
“It is a remote area and it is a challenge to conduct a search in that remote area,” Mauger said.
“We are deploying all available assets to make sure that we can locate the craft and rescue the people on board,” he said. “Going into this evening we will continue to fly aircraft and move additional vessels.”
Mauger said officials have also been reaching out to commercial vessels for help.
The private company that operates the submarine, OceanGate Expeditions, said in a statement on Monday that it was “mobilizing all options” to rescue those on board. British billionaire Hamish Harding is among the passengers, according to a social media post from a relative.
The U.S. Coast Guard said earlier on Twitter that a boat on the surface – the Polar Prince – lost contact with the submarine, called the Titan, about one hour and 45 minutes after it began diving toward the site of the Titanic’s wreckage on Sunday morning.
OceanGate said, “We are deeply thankful for the extensive assistance we have received from several government agencies and deep sea companies in our efforts to reestablish contact with the submersible.”
Harding’s stepson wrote on Facebook that Harding had “gone missing on submarine” and asked for “thoughts and prayers.” The stepson subsequently removed the post, citing respect for the family’s privacy.
Harding himself had posted on Facebook that he would be aboard the sub. There have been no further posts from him. The expedition headed out to sea on Friday, and the first dive was set for Sunday morning, according to Harding’s post.
The expeditions, which cost $250,000 per person, start in St. John’s, Newfoundland, before heading out approximately 400 miles (640 km) into the Atlantic to the wreckage site, according to OceanGate’s website.
In order to visit the wreck, passengers climb inside Titan, the five-person submersible, which takes two hours to descend approximately 12,500 feet (3,800 m) to the Titanic.
The British passenger ship famously sank in 1912 on its maiden voyage after striking an iceberg, killing more than 1,500 people. The story has been immortalized in nonfiction and fiction books as well as the 1997 blockbuster movie “Titanic.”
(Reporting by Joseph Ax, Kanishka Singh and Njuwa Mainaand Rich McKay; Additional reporting by Ismail Shakil; Editing by Doina Chiacu, Franklin Paul, Jonathan Oatis and Cynthia Osterman)
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(Reuters) -A submarine on a tourism expedition to explore the wreckage of the Titanic has gone missing off the coast of southeastern Canada, according to the private company that operates the vessel.
OceanGate Expeditions said in a brief statement on Monday that it was “mobilizing all options” to rescue those on board the vessel. It was not immediately clear how many people were missing.
The U.S. Coast Guard did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Media reports said the Coast Guard has launched search-and-rescue operations.
“We are deeply thankful for the extensive assistance we have received from several government agencies and deep sea companies in our efforts to reestablish contact with the submersible,” OceanGate said in a statement.
The company is currently operating its fifth Titanic “mission” of 2023, according to its website, which was scheduled to start last week and finish on Thursday.
The expedition, which costs $250,000 per person, starts in St. John’s, Newfoundland, before heading out approximately 400 miles into the Atlantic to the wreckage site, according to OceanGate’s website.
In order to visit the wreck, passengers climb inside Titan, a five-person submersible, which takes about two hours to descend to the Titanic.
The British passenger ship famously sunk in 1912 on its maiden voyage after striking an iceberg, killing more than 1,500 people. The story has been immortalized in non-fiction and fiction books as well as the 1997 blockbuster movie “Titanic”.
(Reporting by Joseph Ax, Njuwa Maina and Kanishka Singh; Additional reporting by Ismail Shakil; Editing by Doina Chiacu)
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WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A submersible craft used to take people to view the wreck of the Titanic is missing and efforts were under way to bring its crew back safely, private firm OceanGate Expeditions said on Monday.
The company deploys submersibles for deep sea expeditions and said in a statement that it was exploring options to bring the crew back safely. It also said it received help from several government agencies in the process.
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by DoinaChiacu)
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