2023-06-20 03:56:15
Gareth Evans and Laura Gozzi BBC News, 19 June 2023
Last updated 42 minutes ago
image copyrightOceanGate
A major search and rescue operation is taking place in the Atlantic Ocean, following the loss of a submarine that was carrying tourists to see the wreck of the Titanic, with its crew on board.
The US Coast Guard said that contact was lost with the missing submarine, about an hour and 45 minutes after the start of its journey to the depths.
Ocean Gate, which owns the submarine, confirmed that all options are being studied at the present time to save the five people on board the submarine.
The cost of the ticket is $ 250,000 for the eight-day trip, including diving to the site where the wreck of the legendary Titanic settled at a depth of 3800 meters.
The search and rescue operation involves government agencies, the US and Canadian navies, and deep-sea companies.
The wreckage of the Titanic rests about 700 kilometers south of St. John’s near Newfoundland, while the rescue operation is being managed from Boston and Massachusetts.
It is believed that the missing submarine is the “Titan” owned by the company “Oceangate”, which is the size of a truck and can accommodate five people, and is usually equipped when diving with enough oxygen on board for four days.
“We expect to have between 70 and 96 hours right now,” Rear Admiral Mauger of the US Coast Guard told a news conference.
He added that two planes, a submarine and helicopters carrying sonar scanning equipment participated in the search for the submarine, but he indicated that the area being searched was “far away” which made operations difficult.
Admiral Mauger said the rescue teams were “treating the missing as if they were their own” and doing everything they could to bring those on board the submarine “to their safe homes”.
Among those missing aboard the submarine is billionaire businessman and British explorer Hashem Harding.
Harding said on his social media accounts last weekend that he was “proud to finally announce” that he would be on the voyage to the Titanic wreck, but added that due to “Newfoundland’s worst winter in 40 years, this may be the first and only crewed voyage.” to Titanic in 2023″.
He wrote afterwards: “The weather conditions have become somewhat favorable, and we will try diving tomorrow.”
In its statement, Oceangate said, “Our focus is on the submarine’s crew members and their families.”
“We are deeply grateful for the great assistance we have received from numerous government agencies and deep-sea companies in our efforts to restore contact with the missing submarine,” the company added.
image copyrightArchyde.com
photo comment,
The wreckage of the Titanic rests 3,800 meters below the Atlantic waters
Oceangate promotes its deep-sea expeditions via carbon fiber submersibles as “an opportunity to get out of the routine of everyday life and see something extraordinary”.
According to the company’s website, one expedition is currently underway while the company is planning two expeditions for June 2024.
The expedition submarine usually carries a skipper, three tourists, as well as a “content expert,” as the company calls it.
The eight-day expedition sails from the resort town of Newfoundland, 600 kilometers from the site of the Titanic wreck. Each full immersion of the Titanic’s wreck takes about eight hours, including the time spent on the descent and ascent.
Ocean Gate owns three submarines, of which only one – the submarine Titan – is capable of diving deep enough to reach the wreck of the Titanic.
The submersible Titan weighs about 10,432 kilograms, according to the Oceangate website. The Titan submarine can reach a depth of four thousand meters below the surface of the water, loaded with life support sufficient for five people for up to 96 hours.
The owner of the missing submarine told the BBC that a vessel called the Polar Prince, used to transport submarines to the wreck site, took part in the expedition.
David Pogue, a CBS correspondent who traveled on the Titan last year, told the BBC some of the problems both the submarine crew and ground crew were likely to encounter, saying there was currently “no way” to contact the ship.
image copyrightATLANTIC PRODUCTIONS/MAGELLAN
photo comment,
Titanic’s bow can still be instantly recognizable even long after it has been underwater
“When the support vessel is directly above the submarine, they can send and receive SMS messages,” Pugh said. “Obviously, they no longer get a response.”
He added that because the container was closed to the passengers with bolts attached from the outside, “there is no way to escape, even if you go up to the surface yourself. You cannot get out of the submarine without a crew on the outside who allows you to do so.”
The Titanic, which was the largest ship at the time, hit an iceberg on its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York in 1912. Of the 2,200 passengers and crew on board, more than 1,500 died.
Since it was found in 1985, the wreck of the Titanic has been the subject of many expeditions. The wreckage of the Titanic rests in two places. Where the ship’s bow separated from its stern and settled about 800 meters away from it.
The first full-size digital survey of the wreck using deep-sea maps was conducted last month. The scan shows the size of the ship as well as some fine details such as the serial number on one of the propellers.
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