A huge search operation has been launched to save the crew and passengers of a submersible that went missing on a dive to see the wreck of the Titanic in the North Atlantic.
The Titan submersible, operated by OceanGate Expeditions, disappeared on Sunday morning about one hour and 45 minutes into an expedition to the wreck site, around 370 miles from the coast of Newfoundland, Canada.
It was launched from a chartered ship called the Polar Prince.
Who was on the vessel?
The US Coast Guard said five people were onboard.
Hamish Harding, 58, a British billionaire and adventurer, is feared to be among the missing, while Sky News reported that OceanGate’s CEO Stockton Rush and French submersible pilot, Paul-Henry Nargeolet, are also thought to be onboard.
Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Sulaiman were also on the vessel, their family said in a statement.
“We are very grateful for the concern being shown by our colleagues and friends and would like to request everyone to pray for their safety”, the statement read.
Prolific adventurer Mr Harding - who holds 16 air-speed records including the fastest pole-to-pole circumnavigation by plane - lives in Dubai with his family.
His stepson Brian posted last night: “Thoughts and prayers for my Mom and Hamish Harding. Hamish Harding my stepfather has gone missing on submarine.”
Mr Harding, chief executive of brokers Action Aviation, posted that he was “proud” to be joining the OceanGate expedition as a “mission specialist” on Saturday .
He posted a picture of himself on the support vessel and wrote on Instagram: “Due to the worst winter in Newfoundland in 40 years, this is likely to be the first and only manned mission to the Titanic in 2023.
“A weather window has just opened up and we are going to attempt a dive.
“We started steaming from St John’s yesterday and are planning to start dive operations around 4am tomorrow.
“The team on the sub has a couple of legendary explorers... some have done over 30 dives to the RMS Titanic since the 1980s, including PH Nargeolet.”
What was the sub doing?
The 22ft Titan submersible holds five people and can descend to depths of 2.5 miles.
Travelling at about 3.5mph, it has also been used for research, film production and testing of hardware and software.
The vessel is run by OceanGate Expeditions, a US-based private company, which charges $250,000 for an eight-day package to visit the ship.
It promises passengers the chance to become “one of the few to see the Titanic with your own eyes”.
The firm has pioneered adventure packages to the Titanic, first completing dives to the wreck in 2021 and returning for six weeks of expeditions in 2022.
During the eight-day excursions, operating from St John’s, Newfoundland, tourists are taken out into the Atlantic on large boats.
When they reach the dive site, the submersible is released from the ship and dives down to the wreck. The round trip - descending to the ocean floor, exploring the wreck and ascending back to the surface - usually takes about eight hours in total.
David Pogue from CBS said passengers were sealed inside the main capsule by bolts applied from the outside and had to be removed by an external crew. If the sub became trapped or sprung a leak “there’s no back-up, there’s no escape pod”, he said.
A submersible differs to a submarine in that it needs a mothership to launch and recover it. A submarine has the power to leave and return to port itself.
It maintains contact via an internet connection powered by Elon Musk’s Starlink system. It had 96 hours worth of air.
Titan “is the only deep-diving sub with a toilet”. Those aboard typically bring “a sandwich for lunch”, according to OceanGate’s website.
Passengers are designated “mission specialists” while on board and are considered to be part of the crew.
The company previously recalled working with engineers from Nasa to design Titan, boasting of its "multiple, redundant safety systems" that "can determine if the hull is compromised well before situations become life-threatening, and safely return to the surface".
OceanGate said the Titan is “outfitted with state-of-the-art lighting and sonar navigation systems plus internally and externally mounted 4K video and photographic equipment”.
It has sensors to analyse the effects of pressure as it dives, in order to assess the integrity of the structure.
The company said: “This onboard health analysis monitoring system provides early warning detection for the pilot with enough time to safely return to surface.”
Past wealthy clients to take the trip include James Cameron, director of the 1997 Titanic film, and Bill Price, the retired president of a travel company, who wrote in 2021: “The Titanic expedition isn’t for everyone. But if you are a risk taker, have a desire to learn about history and dive technology, want to play a hands-on role in an expedition, and are in a place in life where it makes sense financially, it’s a great fit.”
What is the latest on the rescue mission?
US and Canadian ships and planes have swarmed the area about 900 miles (1,450km) east of Cape Cod, some dropping sonar buoys that can monitor to a depth of 13,000 feet (2,962 metres), US Coast Guard Rear Admiral John Mauger said.
“It is a remote area and it is a challenge to conduct a search in that remote area,” Mr Mauger said.
“We are deploying all available assets to make sure that we can locate the craft and rescue the people on board,” he said. “Going into this evening we will continue to fly aircraft and move additional vessels.”
OceanGate Expeditions said on Monday that it was “mobilising all options” to rescue those on board.
The US Coast Guard said a boat on the surface – the Polar Prince – lost contact with the Titan about one hour and 45 minutes after it began diving toward the site of the Titanic’s wreckage on Sunday morning.
The 10,432kg Cyclops-class submersible is only capable of providing 96 hours of life support, according to OceanGate’s website. The Titanic wreckage lies about 3,800m (12,500ft) deep in pitch black water.
