Submersible ‘Titan’ That Took People To See ‘Titanic Wreckage’ Goes Missing

Submersible ‘Titan’ Goes Missing: This one is perhaps the first-ever news report about RMS Titanic, the White Star Line-operated British passenger liner which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United States.

The much-celebrated ship now lies at a depth of some 3,800m (12,500ft) in the ocean.

Now, 111 years later, a submersible that carries people to view the wreckage of the Titanic is missing, say media reports adding that a search is underway.

The US Coast Guard told BBC News that a search was underway Monday off the coast of Newfoundland. OceanGate Expeditions confirmed it owned the missing vessel.

“We are exploring and mobilising all options to bring the crew back safely. Our entire focus is on the crewmembers in the submersible and their families,” OceanGate Expeditions said in a statement to BBC News.

The US Coast Guard in Boston did not immediately return messages sent by The Associated Press. However, the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia, said a Canadian military aircraft and a Canadian Coast Guard vessel are assisting the search effort, which is being led by the US Coast Guard.

It was in the year 2021 that OceanGate Expeditions began what it expected to become an annual voyage to chronicle the deterioration of the iconic ocean liner that struck an iceberg and sank in 1912.

The company said at the time that in addition to archaeologists and marine biologists, the expeditions also would include roughly 40 paid tourists who would take turns operating sonar equipment and performing other tasks in the five-person submersible.

The initial group of tourists was funding the expedition by spending anywhere from $100,000 to $150,000 apiece.

Of the estimated 2,224 passengers and crew aboard on Titanic, more than 1,500 died, making it the deadliest sinking of a single ship up to that time and remains the deadliest peacetime sinking of an ocean liner or cruise ship.

The disaster drew public attention, provided foundational material for the disaster film genre, and inspired many artistic works. The most notable being the 1997 Hollywood movie “Titanic” directed, written, produced, and co-edited by James Cameron and starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio.

(With inputs from BBC and The Associated Press)