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To find a submarine that had vanished more than a day earlier while transporting tourists to the Titanic debris off the coast of southeast Canada, U.S. and Canadian ships and planes scoured the area on Monday, according to officials.
There were one pilot and four passengers on board, according to the U.S. Coast Guard, and the boat could stay underwater for 96 hours. However, it was not apparent whether the boat was still submerged or had emerged but was unable to contact.
Rear Admiral John Mauger of the U.S. Coast Guard told reporters on Monday that American and Canadian ships and aircraft had crowded the region 900 miles (1,450 km) east of Cape Cod, dropping sonar buoys that can monitor to a depth of 13,000 feet (3,962 meters).
“It is a remote area, and searching in that remote area is a challenge,” Mauger added.
He declared, “We are using all possible resources to ensure that we can find the craft and rescue the individuals on board. “As the evening draws in, we’ll keep flying planes and moving more ships.”
As stated by Mauger, authorities have also requested assistance from commercial vessels.
In a statement released on Monday, OceanGate Expeditions, the private business that runs the submarine, stated that it was “mobilizing all options” to save everyone on board.
According to a relative’s social media post, the passengers include British millionaire Hamish Harding.
As a statement from their family, Pakistani billionaire Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman were also on board.
The statement urged everyone to pray for their safety and expressed gratitude for the concern being expressed by their friends and coworkers.
The submarine, known as the Titan, lost touch with a surface vessel, the Polar Prince, about an hour and 45 minutes after it started diving toward the Titanic’s wreckage on Sunday morning, the U.S. Coast Guard reported earlier on Twitter.
From OceanGate, “We are deeply appreciative of the significant support we have received from several governmental organizations and deep-sea businesses in our efforts to reestablish contact with the submersible.”
On Facebook, Harding’s stepson said that his father had “gone missing on submarine” and requested “thoughts and prayers.” Later, the stepson took down the post, citing respect for the family’s privacy.
Harding had announced his presence on the sub on Facebook. He hasn’t made any more posts since then. According to Harding’s article, the team sailed out to sea on Friday, with the first dive scheduled for Sunday morning.
Per the Dawood family statement, the father and son had planned the trip to see the Titanic shipwreck’s remains.
Dawood serves as vice chairman of Engro Corporation, one of the biggest corporations in Pakistan with holdings in the production of automobiles, electricity, and digital technology. He resides in Britain with his wife and two children, according to the website of SETI, the California-based scientific organization of which he is a trustee.
According to the OceanGate website, the excursions, which each cost $250,000, leave from St. John’s, Newfoundland, and travel 640 kilometers (about 400 miles) to the debris.
Visitors board Titan, the five-person submersible, and descend to the Titanic in about 12,500 feet (3,800 m) of water over the course of two hours.
More than 1,500 passengers perished when the British passenger ship hit an iceberg and drowned in 1912 while on its first trip. The tale was memorialized in both documentary and fiction publications, as well as the 1997 hit film “Titanic.”
Source – Reuters
