A British submarine captain is reportedly missing after a submarine used to take tourists to the see the wreckage of the Titanic disappeared.
Hamish Harding is understood to be one of five people trapped underwater in the Atlantic Ocean, with the US Coastguard frantically trying to find and recover the missing vessel.
The British billionaire and explorer is thought to be part of the crew which was reported lost on Monday morning. The submarine has an oxygen supply which will last around 96 hours.
It has yet to be confirmed if Mr Harding is on the submersible, although he did indicate he would be, in a previous social media post.
OceanGate Expedition is conducting the rescue mission, with a spokesperson confirming that an unknown number of people were on board the submarine, reports the Mirror.
The company said it is “exploring and mobilising all options to bring the crew back safely.”
“Our entire focus is on the crew members in the submersible and their families,” said OceanGate, adding that it is “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.”
OceanGate Expedition did not confirm who was on the missing vessel, and how many were crew or tourists.
Britain, France and Norway run Nato’s global submarine rescue service, which can dive to a depth of 610 metres.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence said: “As the host nation for NATO’s multinational submarine rescue capability, we continue to monitor the incident in the North Atlantic and will guide and assist in any response activity as appropriate.”
Titanic enthusiast William Oakes, from the US, said he has friends taking part in the mission.
He said: “Please stop right now and pray. The OceanGate submarine on a mission to the Titanic has gone missing in the North Atlantic.
“The sub is designed to hold five people. It is unknown how many or if any are on board. Please pray. I have friends and acquaintances who are a part of this mission.”
Mr Harding confirmed he was joining OceanGate as a “mission specialist” on an expedition on Saturday, posting a picture on Instagram on the support vessel.
On Sunday, he wrote: “I am proud to finally announce that I joined Oceangate Expedition for their RMS TITANIC Mission as a mission specialist on the sub going down to the Titanic.
“Due to the worst winter in Newfoundland in 40 years, this mission is likely to be the first and only manned mission to the Titanic in 2023."
The submersible, known as Titan, is operated by OceanGate Expeditions to take people to the site of the famous shipwreck, which was the subject of the 1997 movie Titanic, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet.
Along with tourists, regular passengers to the wreck include scientists, researchers, filmmakers and artists. The first tours took place in 1985, and can cost anything up to £200,000, and take around eight hours.
Stockton Rush, founder and CEO of OceanGate, said: “Titan is the only five-person sub capable of going to the Titanic depth, which is half the depth of the ocean.”
The Titanic wreck is around 370 miles off the coast of Canada, and is 3,800m (12,500ft) down at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.
The passenger liner, which was the largest ship of its time, hit an iceberg on its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York in 1912, after being dubbed "unsinkable". More than 1,500 members of the 2,200 passengers and crew died.
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