2023-06-19 18:42:31
A salvage operation was underway in the deep waters of the Atlantic Ocean on Monday to search for a submarine with people on board that submerged to view the wreckage of the Titanic.
The Joint Rescue Coordination Center in Halifax, Nova Scotia, said the submarine was reported missing at 9:13 p.m. Sunday, about 435 miles (700 kilometers) south of St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada. Lt. Cmdr. Len Hickey said a Canadian Coast Guard vessel and military ships were assisting in the search effort, which was led by the US Coast Guard in Boston.
OceanGate Expeditions confirmed the search for its submersible and said its focus was on the five people aboard the vessel and their families.
“We are deeply grateful for the extensive assistance we have received from various government agencies and deepwater companies in our efforts to re-establish contact with the submersible,” the company said in a statement. “We are working so that the crew members return safely.”
Chris Parry, a retired British navy rear admiral, told Sky News that the ongoing rescue was “a very difficult operation.”
“The real nature of the seabed is very wavy. The Titanic lies in a ditch. There is a lot of debris around. So trying to differentiate with sonar in particular and trying to target the area you want to search with another submersible is going to be very difficult.”
In 2021, OceanGate Expeditions began what it hoped would become an annual voyage to chronicle the deterioration of the iconic ocean liner that struck an iceberg and sank in 1912, killing some 700 of the approximately 2,200 passengers and crew members. Since its discovery in 1985, the wreckage has slowly succumbed to metal-eating bacteria, and some have predicted the ship could disappear in a matter of decades as holes are torn through the hull and sections disintegrate.
The first group of tourists were financing the expedition by spending between $100,000 and $150,000 each.
The 2023 OceanGate expedition was his third to the site where the liner sank to document its deterioration and marine life.
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