The Titanic excursion submarine has been missing for over 24 hours

The Titanic excursion submarine has been missing for over 24 hours




A small submarine of OceanGate Expeditions, with five people on board, has disappeared during a visit to the wreck of the legendary British ocean liner Titanic. The ship began her descent on Sunday morning (6/18) and lost contact with the surface less than two hours later. This information was confirmed by the US Coast Guard and triggered a major search and rescue operation involving US and Canadian authorities.

Among the passengers on board was British aviator and billionaire Hamish Harding, president of Action Aviation. Harding, who had previously participated in Blue Origin’s space journey in 2022, made a post on social media on Saturday, announcing his participation in the expedition. On Instagram, he wrote: “Proud to finally announce that I have joined OceanGate Expeditions on their RMS TITANIC mission as a mission specialist on the submarine going down to the Titanic.”

The Titanic, sunk in 1912 after colliding with an iceberg, is 3,800 meters deep on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.

Rescue operation

The search and rescue operation began with an aircraft approximately 900 miles (1,450 kilometers) east of Cape Cod. The Canadian Coast Guard also joined the operation with a boat and fixed-wing aircraft. US Coast Guard Rear Admiral John Mauger spoke of the difficulties of conducting a search in this remote area, but assured that all available resources were mobilized to locate the submarine and rescue those on board.

The submarine has a range of 96 hours for a crew of five. According to John Mauger, about 70 hours of oxygen still remained on Monday afternoon.

Millionaire risk of life under the sea

The missing submarine, called the Titan, is made of carbon fiber and titanium, and has a space similar to that of a large automobile.

The Titanic wreck viewing trip, operated by OceanGate, costs US$250,000 (R$1.19 million) per person and lasts 10 days. For the journey, the passengers sign a contract in which they agree to risk their lives for the journey.

Although there are several hypotheses about what could have happened to the ship. Alistair Greig, a professor of marine engineering at University College London, pointed to two theories: the ship could be on the surface awaiting rescue due to an electrical problem or, in a more serious scenario, there could be a structural problem.

Five months ago, the American channel CBS made a report about the tour. See submarine details below.

Source: Terra

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