Titanic tourist submarine goes missing in Atlantic Ocean sparking urgent search

An image of the wreckage of the Titanic

Titanic tourist sub goes missing in Atlantic Ocean sparking urgent search

Reuters
Jack Walters

By Jack Walters


Published: 19/06/2023

- 16:54

An American rescue operation has been launched off the coast of Newfoundland

A submersible which takes groups of tourists to the wreckage of the Titanic has gone missing as authorities launch an urgent search.

The Boston Coastguard is leading the search for the vessel.


Trips to visit the wreckage of the Titanic, which infamously sank in 1912, can cost up to $250,000.

Dives reportedly take six to eight hours.

The Titanic sank in April 1912

The Titanic sank in April 1912

PA

There are also three hours reserved for exploring the Titanic.

It is not yet known how many people are on board and which company is manning the vessel.

Lieutenant Jordan Hart, from the US Coast Guard in Boston, confirmed to American outlet CBS News that personnel were “currently undergoing a search and rescue operation” off the coast of Newfoundland.

A standard submersible used to tour the wreckage can accommodate five people, including a pilot, three paying guests and a content expert.

OceanGate Expeditions, a private company which provides submersibles for tourists visits, confirmed one expedition is ongoing.

Two more expeditions have been planned for June 2024.

The company has not yet commented on the reports or confirmed whether one of its submersibles is currently missing.

The Titanic is now located some 370miles off the coast of Canada at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.

Newspaper clippings revealed the Titanic incident from 1912

Newspaper clippings revealed the Titanic incident from 1912

Reuters

The vessel sank on April 15 in 1912 during its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York after hitting an iceberg.

The “unsinkable” passenger liner struck an iceberg just four days into her journey, opening up five of her sixteen watertight compartments to the sea.

Around 1,500 people died during the disaster and just 706 passengers survived.

The Titanic’s wreckage was only found 37 years ago following a Franco-American expedition.

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