Submarine Headed to Titanic Wreck Is Missing with Tourists Onboard
A search-and-rescue mission is currently underway to locate a small submarine that has gone missing during a tourist expedition to the infamous Titanic wreckage.
On Monday June 19th, the U.S. Coast Guard initiated a search for the submarine, which disappeared during its expedition from St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada to the Titanic wreckage resting around 372 miles southeast in the North Atlantic Ocean.
OceanGate Expeditions, a U.S.-based company, organizes and leads annual surveying voyages to the Titanic. Their five-person submersible, named Titan, was specifically designed to reach the wreckage lying at a depth of 3,800 meters below the ocean’s surface. Promoted on OceanGate’s website, the extraordinary seven-night journey to the Titanic comes with a price tag of US$250,000 per person.
In response to the situation, an OceanGate spokesperson stated to CTV News: “We are exploring and mobilizing all options to bring the crew back safely. Our entire focus is on the crew members in the submersible and their families.”
OceanGate has been conducting expeditions to the Titanic since 2021 and remains committed to finding their crew. The exact number of individuals onboard the missing submersible is currently unknown.
Although the expedition commenced in Canada, the jurisdiction over the Titanic wreck lies under the U.S. Coast Guard’s Boston fleet.
