Search efforts are underway for a submersible after it went missing in the North Atlantic Ocean off the Newfoundland Coast.
The submersible, named Titan, is with OceanGate. For $250,000 each, people can go on a deep-sea expedition to explore the wreckage of the Titanic.
According to the U.S. Coast Guard, the vessel was carrying five people — a pilot and four passengers — when it went out on Friday morning, losing contact roughly an hour and 45 minutes into its dive 900 miles east of Cape Cod.
An adviser to Oceangate told the Associated Press that the submersible has a 96-hour supply of oxygen. As of Monday afternoon, it will have been 32 hours since the submersible last left the surface, leaving around 60 hours of air.
The AP also confirmed with Action Aviation that the company’s chairman, Hamish Harding, is one of the passengers on board. In an Instagram post on June 17, Harding detailed how he would be going down to the Titanic wreck as a “mission specialist,” going on to note that this would likely “be the first and only manned mission to the Titanic in 2023″ due to wintry conditions in Newfoundland.
Harding also said in his post that the team on the dive would have “a couple of legendary explorers, some of which have done over 30 dives to the RMS Titanic.”
In a brief statement, OceanGate said they are exploring all options to bring the crew back safely.
The U.S. Coast Guard says it is assisting with search and rescue efforts. Officials with the Port of Everett are aware of the situation. In a statement, they said, “Our thoughts are with our OceanGate family, the crew on board, and their families right now as we all anxiously await a positive outcome.”
Simpsons writer Mike Reiss said he was on the Titan 11 months ago with his wife. We spoke to him about his experience and thoughts on the current situation.
“So, it was a friend who lives in Everett that wrote to us and says, ‘I heard about something that sounds right up your alley. This guy in Seattle is building his own sub,’” said Reiss.
He said they took dives with the company prior to their adventure.
“So then we knew he was doing this Titanic dive and we signed up for it.”
Reiss said once the Titan reached the Titanic, they were pressed for time.
“It was a real struggle to get to the Titanic. Our time was very, very short because on top of the danger of being two and a half miles down, there was a hurricane coming down at sea level,” said Reiss. “We really had this tight window. You sort of land at the bottom of the ocean and then go ‘all right, where’s the Titanic?’ We know it’s around here somewhere.”
They were able to take about 20 minutes’ worth of photos while on the voyage. He said the photo shoot was pretty “touristy.”
Reiss said he does a podcast about his travels and has done one on this specific expedition.
“As I was rereading just 11 months ago in this very same sub, and I see over and over on every dive we took they lost communication. Which is just one of the problems with this thing,” said Reiss.
That being said, Reiss said that anyone aboard the Titan was aware of the dangers before taking the trip.
“So, before you even go on you sign this long, long waiver that mentions possible death three times on the first page. So… you know what you’re getting into.”
That includes Reiss and his wife.
“In fact, when I stepped onto it, I just knew in a part of my mind was going, ‘Welp, this could be the end.’”
He said the crew members with the company are very nice people and he hopes everyone is OK.
“Everyone’s hoping and praying. I just go… I know having been in this situation… it’s very difficult. You know, I’m hoping, too.”
“It’s not any bad or reflection on Stockton Rush. It’s his company and he designed it, but it’s just we are all part of this ongoing experiment,” said Reiss.
Last year, KIRO7 talked with the Stockton Rush, founder and CEO of OceanGate just before a five-person crew dove into the deep sea.
“Realizing that there’s really one object in the ocean that everyone on planet earth knows and that’s Titanic. And that makes it possible for us to do these very expensive and very complicated missions. There’s just this huge fascination,” said Rush.
At the time, Rush said it takes two and a half hours to get to the ship.
“You’ll see the weirdest things you’d ever see… things with two eyeballs and a gelatinous back end and stuff coming off it, but it’ll go racing by and you’ll be like, ‘What was that?’ I love sitting by the dome for that descent because you’ll see the most bizarre creatures,” said Rush.
In-Depth
-
The expedition was Oceangate’s fifth voyage to view the deterioration of the Titanic.
-
The submersible is different from a submarine because it can’t return to port under its own power.
-
Oceangate hired a Canadian icebreaker to take the craft and passengers to the North Atlantic wreck site.
-
The submersible was scheduled to make several dives in one expedition.
-
In a court filing, Oceangate said Titan can dive to about 13,000 feet, or nearly two and a half miles, with a comfortable safety margin.
-
The craft weighs about 20,000 pounds.
-
It can drop the ballast and simply float back to the surface.
-
In 2021, Oceangate said Titan had an unparalleled safety feature that assesses the integrity of the hull through each dive.