Underwater Vessel Goes Missing During Expedition to Titanic

Isabel Johnson, a submarine pilot in training, sits atop the submersible OceanGate Cyclops
Bill Sikes/AP
Elaine Mallon

A submersible touring the shipwrecked Titanic went missing around 370 miles off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada.

The Boston Coast Guard deployed a search and rescue team on Monday. It is unknown how many people are aboard the Titan, which belongs to OceanGate Expeditions, CBS News reported.

“Our entire focus is on the crewmembers in the submersible and their families,” OceanGate stated, adding that they 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 private company offers expeditions, research and data collection, deep sea testing, and now underwater tourism.

The company has other expeditions planned, according to OceanGate, which charges up to $250,000 a person for the excursion. Dives can last up to ten hours each, the Daily Mail reported.

The submersible can hold five people — breaking down to three guests, a pilot and a “content expert,” BBC reported. It is the only 5-person vessel that can reach the Titanic, which lies 2.4 miles below the ocean’s surface. CBS News’s Sunday Mornings correspondent David Pogue described the vessel as no bigger than a minivan.

The vessel operates using a touch screen and computers, and there is only one switch used to turn the vessel on, according to CEO Stockton Rush.

“There’s no switches and things to bump into, we have one button to turn it on,” Rush said.

The vessel relies on Elon Musk’s company Starlink for communication during the expeditions.

 

 

 

COMMENTS

Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.