Submarine Carrying Tourists To The Wreck Of The Titanic Disappears
Communication with the submarine, which organized a tour to the wreckage, was lost about 2 hours after the dive. While a search operation was launched to find the missing, the submarine's life support time was announced.
The submarine carrying tourists who wanted to examine the wreckage of the Titanic disappeared in the North Atlantic.
OceanGate Expeditions, a company that organizes tours with manned submarines for deep-sea exploration, confirmed that the missing submarine was the subject of a rescue operation.
Search For Missing Submarine
“We are exploring and mobilizing all options to bring the crew back safely,” the statement said.
Extensive search and rescue operations were launched on Monday for the submarine in question. Aircrafts are also supporting the search.
Cost Per Person 250 Thousand Dollars
While it was stated that the dive and ascent to the wreck of the Titanic took about 8 hours, the cost of the 8-day tour organized to see the wreck was announced as 250 thousand dollars per person.
Contact was lost after 1 hour and 45 minutes
The US Coast Guard said it would continue to conduct surface searches throughout the evening hours.
Contact with the submarine, which occupied the world’s agenda, was lost 1 hour and 45 minutes after its dive on Sunday.
70 To 96 Hours Of Life Support
The submarine, which has not been heard from, has between 70 and 96 hours of life support. One of the passengers was British billionaire Hamish Harding, one of the first people to descend to Challenger Deep, the world’s deepest known point in the Pacific.
Among the passengers whose names have been released are 73-year-old Paul-Henri Nargeolet and Shahzada Dawood, a Pakistani businessman living in the UK, and his son Suleman.
It is also stated that Stockton Rush, CEO of OceanGate, is also on the missing submarine.
They Were Going To See The Wreckage
OceanGate Expeditions is known as the organization that led the expedition to see the wreckage of the Titanic at a depth of about 4 thousand meters. A statement from the company said:
We are grateful for the immediate and extensive assistance we received from numerous government agencies and marine companies as we attempted to reconnect with the underwater vehicle.
The Story Of The Sinking Titanic
The ship sailed from Southampton, England, on April 10, 1912, bound for New York.
Then, between April 14 and 15, at midnight, it hit the iceberg and sank in less than three hours.
According to the US Senate report on the disaster, a total of 1517 people died. Of the 2,223 passengers and crew, 706 survived.
According to CNN International, the estimated construction cost of the ship is said to be 7.5 million dollars.
The wreckage of the Titanic was discovered in 1985 and sits in two pieces at the bottom of the ocean.
Air Support From Canada
Meanwhile, the Canadian Armed Forces mobilized aircraft to help search for the missing submarine.
“CC-130 Hercules from the Royal Canadian Air Force are also preparing to join the search,” the Armed Forces said in a statement.
Uncertainties About The Submarine
As the US and Canadian authorities continue their search, it remains unclear what happened to the missing submarine, why it lost contact with the teams on the surface, and where or how deep it may be.
Above water, objects can be detected in the open air thanks to radar and other communications. But this changes when it comes to underwater.
Underwater, the beams lose their effect after a few meters. This means no radar and no GPS.
