Submersible Visiting Titanic Wreckage Goes Missing With 5 People Onboard

The United States Coast Guard has launched a full-scale search for a submersible that was exploring the Titanic wreckage in the Atlantic Ocean.

A total of five people were on board the submersible including UK billionaire Hamish Harding.

The submersible lost all contact with the outside world 1 hour and 45 minutes into its dive.

Right now the US Coast Guards have launched a search and rescue operation but have yet to find the location of the vessel.

https://twitter.com/KarliBonnita/status/1670821894260420609

Titanic submarine goes missing in Atlantic.https://t.co/5wrXK3zEWp

— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) June 19, 2023

CBS had these details to add:

A search and rescue mission was underway Monday for a submarine that went missing in the North Atlantic on an expedition to explore the wreckage of the Titanic. Lt. Jordan Hart of the U.S. Coast Guard in Boston told CBS News that personnel were “currently undergoing a search and rescue operation” when asked about the rescue efforts off the coast of Newfoundland.

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“The 5 person crew submerged Sunday morning, and the crew of the Polar Prince” — the ship that ferried the submersible and expedition members to the dive site — “lost contact with them approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes into the vessel’s dive,” the Coast Guard said in a tweet.

OceanGate Expeditions, a company that deploys manned submersibles for deep sea expeditions, confirmed in a statement that its sub was the subject of the rescue operation, adding that it was “exploring and mobilizing all options to bring the crew back safely.”

The company did not say how many people were on board the missing vessel or whether any of them were paying tourists, whom it does take as passengers on its expeditions.

“Our entire focus is on the crewmembers in the submersible and their families,” said OceanGate, adding that it was “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.”

The U.S. Coast Guard said it had a C-130 crew searching for the sub approximately 900 miles off Cape Cod, and that the Rescue Coordination Center Halifax is assisting with a P8 Poseidon aircraft, which has underwater detection capabilities.

ALERT – A submersible vessel used to take tourists to see the wreckage of the Titanic in the North Atlantic has gone missing. It was not immediately known how many people are on the vesselhttps://t.co/RohC6fTN2W

— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) June 19, 2023

Here’s what CNN reported:

The US Coast Guard launched a search and rescue operation for a submersible with five people on board that went missing during an expedition to the wreckage of the Titanic.

The military branch received a phone call Sunday informing them the Canadian research ship Polar Prince had lost contact with the underwater vessel and were overdue on checking with their communications, according to Coast Guard spokesperson Lt. Samantha Corcoran.

“Right now, we are just trying to use all efforts and work with international partners to try to get any resources out there to safely locate all five individuals,” she said.

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The group conducting the expedition, Oceangate Expeditions, said it is “exploring and mobilizing all options to bring the crew back safely.”

“Our entire focus is on the crewmembers in the submersible and their families. 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,” the group said. “We are working toward the safe return of the crewmembers.”

A Coast Guard C-130 aircraft and a P-8 Poseidon aircraft with underwater detection capabilities from RCC Halifax are on scene, and a Canadian Coast Guard ship is also heading to the area, Corcoran said.

British businessman Hamish Harding among the 5 missing in Titanic tourist submarine disappearance https://t.co/wtpk5yo0f3 pic.twitter.com/HyYw5IHvFL

— New York Post (@nypost) June 19, 2023

BREAKING: One of the crew members on the commercial sub that has gone missing near the wreck of the Titanic has been named as Hamish Harding

Full story: https://t.co/skuNHIjilt

📺 Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 and YouTube pic.twitter.com/vxkG9xKpT1

— Sky News (@SkyNews) June 19, 2023