A five-person submersible used to take groups to view the wreckage site of the Titanic has vanished in the Atlantic Ocean, U.S. Coast Guard officials said Monday.
The U.S. Coast Guard in Boston is searching for the missing watercraft, which the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia, said was reported overdue around 9:13 p.m. Sunday about 435 miles south of St. John’s, Newfoundland.
OceanGate Expeditions, a Washington-based deep-sea exploration company, confirmed in a statement to the BBC that it owned the submersible − an vessel similar to a submarine but not as self-sufficient − and a crew was on board. The BBC reported the craft is probably OceanGate’s Titan submersible, which has room for five people and typically a four-day supply of oxygen.
“We are deeply thankful for the extensive assistance we have received from several government agencies and deep sea companies in our efforts to reestablish contact with the submersible,” the company said in a statement. “We are working toward the safe return of the crewmembers.”
USA TODAY has reached out to the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Boston and OceanGate Expeditions for more information.
See the Titanic in whole new way:Full-sized, 3D digital scan shows scale of wreckage site
Titanic facts: When did it sink? How many people died?
On April 14, 1912, the Titanic collided with an iceberg in the North Atlantic on its maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City. On April 15, at about 2:20 a.m., the ship sank.
More than 1,500 people died on the Titanic. Of the roughly 2,200 people aboard the ship, only 706 survived.
The majority of the people killed were members of the crew and third-class passengers. There were 710 deaths in the third class and 700 deaths among the crew.
How many people died on the Titanic?:Facts about the death toll and the survivors
Tourists added for expeditions
In 2021, OceanGate Expeditions began what it expected to become an annual voyage to the wreckage. The company had said it would include about 40 paying tourists to the team of archaeologists and marine biologists on the trips. The tourists would be allowed to take turns operating the sonar equipment on the five-person submersible.
The initial group of tourists spent $100,000 to $150,000 apiece.
Contributing: The Associated Press
