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The US and Canadian Coastguards are helming a major rescue mission to recover a missing tourist submarine that disappeared in the Atlantic Ocean less than two hours into an expedition to see the wreckage of the Titanic
Lauren Heath-Jones | Planet Attractions | 20 Jun 2023
The vessel disappeared during an expedition to view the Titanic wreckage Credit: OCEANGATE
A major rescue mission is underway for a tourist submarine that disappeared in the Atlantic Ocean during an expedition to see the wreckage of the Titanic.
The Titan submarine, operated by OceanGate Expeditions (OGE), went missing on Sunday, June 18, losing contact with its support vessel Polar Prince just an hour and 45 minutes into its dive, approximately 900 miles off of the coast of Cape Cod in the US.
It is estimated that the five-man crew, which includes French diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet, British explorer Hamish Hardin and Pakistani businessman Shahzasa Dawood and his 19-year-old son Sulaiman Dawood, as well as OGE founder Stockton Rush, has just 50 hours of oxygen remaining.
The rescue mission is being helmed by several agencies, including the US and Canadian Coast Guards, the New York National Guard and OGE, which has said that it is “exploring and mobilising all options to bring the crew back safely.”
Rescuers are taking a two-pronged approach to locate the missing submarine, including a surface search in case the vessel has returned to the surface but is without a working communications system, and an underwater sonar search.
Several aircraft, including two C-130 Hercules, a Canadia C-130, and P8 aircraft with underwater sonar capabilities, as well as several sonar buoys, have all been deployed in the search.
Rear Admiral John Mauger of the US Coast Guard said on Monday, June 19, that the remoteness of the area was causing difficulties in the search, adding that additional expertise would be required were the vessel found underwater. The US Navy and the private sector have been contacted for assistance.
Tourism
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