They were sailing to the Titanic and they got lost. The search for a submarine with millionaires on board is underway.
The search continues for the missing submarine heading for the wreck of the Titanic. There were 5 people on board.
The Boston Coast Guard reported the missing submarine on its way to the wreck of the Titanic on Monday. A small vessel belonging to the travel company OceanGate set off from the Canadian research vessel Polar Prince on Sunday morning and contact with it was lost after about an hour and 45 minutes. According to the Coast Guard’s calculations, emergency oxygen will last the crew for a maximum of 96 hours.
It is not known what caused the loss of communication at this time. The search is carried out on two planes – air in case the ship emerges and underwater using sonar.
Who was on board?
There is room for five people on board the submarine Titan. At the moment, the presence of three of them has been confirmed – 59-year-old British businessman and scientist Hamish Harding and Pakistani businessman Shanzad Dawood with his son Suleman.
Harding announced his presence on the expedition on social media. He mentioned the dire conditions that could make it “probably the first and only manned mission to the Titanic in 2023.” “The weather window has just opened and we’ll try diving tomorrow,” the British businessman wrote. His entry also points to the presence of the French scientist Paul-Henry Nargeolet on board.
Unofficially, it is said that the president of OceanGate Stockton Rush, the company organizing the expedition, was also on board.
The company issued a statement
Initially, OceanGate did not confirm their boat was missing, but released a statement on Monday saying it was “exploring and mobilizing all possibilities.” “Our full attention is focused on the submarine crew members and their families,” the company said in a statement. She also noted that she has already received “extensive assistance from several government agencies and deep-sea companies.”
Trips to the wreck of the Titanic located 3,800 m below the surface of the Atlantic and about 600 km away from the Canadian coast are organized by OceanGate. “The Titan is the only five-person submarine capable of descending to the depths of the Titanic,” boasted the founder of Stockton Rush a year ago. The eight-day trip costs 250,000. dollars per person.
The rich and explorer Hamish Harding from Great Britain is among the passengers of the Titan submarine wanted since Monday. The man and several other people plunged into the Atlantic Ocean to admire the wreck of the Titanic. Rescue teams are racing against time because there is only enough oxygen on board for four days at most. Contact with the Titan was lost an hour and 45 minutes after she began her underwater voyage. The unit is the size of a truck, holds five people on board, and has enough oxygen for four days.
The boat submerged so that passengers could watch the wreck of the Titanic sunk in 1912 from behind the windows . The expedition was organized by OceanGate, which is now participating in the search and rescue operation. “We are fully focused on submarine crew members and their families,” the company said, thanking government agencies, the military and private organizations for their assistance.
Billionaire travelers aboard a lost submarine
On Tuesday, the BBC reported that rescue teams were “racing against time” to find the missing submarine as quickly as possible. One of the passengers is British billionaire and explorer Hamish Harding. He is accompanied by Pakistani businessman Shahzad Dawood and his son Suleman.
Probably the French explorer Paul-Henry Nargeolet is also. His participation in the expedition was announced by Harding on Facebook, before entering the boat. It is possible that Stockton Rush, director of OceanGate, is also there.
Titan is constructed of carbon fiber and weighs over 10 tons. The maximum draft is four thousand meters. So far, military aircraft, another submarine and sonar buoys have been used in the search.
Trapped passengers cannot escape the Titan
Last year, a BBC crew was on board the Titan. Station journalist David Pouge went along it for the same purpose as the missing travelers. As he said, if a ship sent to find it is above the submarine, short text messages can be sent between the units. Otherwise, communication is not possible.
