A submersible carrying five people, including tourists, went missing while touring the Titanic wreckage off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada. The U.S. Coast Guard immediately launched a search and rescue operation for the vessel, which belonged to the deep-sea exploring company OceanGate. Although the capsule has 96 hours of oxygen, Rear Adm. John Mauger, U.S. Coast Guard 1st District Commander, said that it was in a remote part of the Atlantic Ocean and that finding it would be difficult.
In a statement released on Monday, OceanGate confirmed it lost contact with the submersible and that it was “exploring and mobilizing all options to bring the crew back safely.” The company’s website states that it offers paying customers the chance to explore the wreckage of the Titanic in five-person submersibles.
The Titanic sank in April 1912 after hitting an iceberg on its maiden voyage from England to New York, and over 1,500 people died. The wreckage was found in 1985, almost 12,500 feet below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean. OceanGate Expeditions started taking tourists to view the wreckage in 2021, and the initial group of tourists paid between $100,000 and $150,000 apiece.
The search for the missing submersible ended on Monday when the U.S. Coast Guard found it off the coast of Newfoundland. The vessel was carrying five people, including a pilot and four tourists. All were safe and without injuries.
“We are relieved and grateful that everyone is safe and back on board,” Stockton Rush, OceanGate CEO, said in a statement. “We appreciate the efforts of the U.S. Coast Guard and the Canadian Coast Guard, as well as the teams who worked tirelessly to locate and assist with the recovery of the Titan.”
The incident has raised concerns about the safety of tourists visiting the wreckage. However, OceanGate said it would review its safety protocols to ensure that such an incident does not occur again.
References
- https://abcnews.go.com/US/new-titanic-footage-released-1986-exploration-wreck/story?id=97217278
- https://uw-media.usatoday.com/embed/video/11896982002?placement=newsbreak
- https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/05/17/titanic-3d-sink-site-pictures/70226903007/
- https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2022/09/06/titanic-video-8-k-never-before-seen/7999783001/
- https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2022/11/19/how-many-people-died-titanic-how-many-survived/10605754002/
- https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/06/19/titanic-tourist-submarine-missing-atlantic-ocean/70335411007/
