Cousins! A search is underway for a tourist submarine occupied by five people after it has been listed as missing following a direct search of the early 1900s Titanic shipwreck!
OceanGate Expedition submarine offers an eight-day excursion type mission for tourists to view the Titanic debris at the rate of $250,000 per individual. Onboard the currently missing Titan sub are a father and son named Shahzada and Sulaiman Dawood alongside world explorer Hamidh Harding, French diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet, and Stockton Rush.
According to reports from CBS News, the crew set out to sea on Sunday, June 18th at 8am EST. It has been stated the team of five lost signal an hour and 45 minutes into the Atlantic Ocean, roughly 370 miles off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada. The sub was scheduled to resurface later in the afternoon around 3 PM EST.
Authorities and a rescue team were soon notified after the crew failed to return. ABC news reports the submarine has likely surpassed rescue team’s capabilities.
It has been indicated that the sub was controlled by a $30 dollar game controller which has ultimately raised questions about its overall safety.
The New York Times reports that experts issued a letter of concern five years ago in 2018 surrounding the Titan’s safety. The letter warned of possible “catastrophic” issues with the ship’s development and that it could have “serious consequences for everyone in the industry.”
Expert’s noted that OceanGate’s safety claims were “misleading to the public” and advised that the Titan be reviewed by a third-party organization.
The U.S Coast Guard and Canadian Coast Guard are currently onboard as the search continues.
The Titan is declared to have a four day emergency oxygen tank however the longer the crew is underwater the tank shall continue to lose breathable air.
Cousins, please stick with us for further updates as this is a developing story. Be sure to check out a timely me for the missing sub on behalf of the United Coast Guard bulletin.
Sunday, June 18, 8 a.m. ET: Submersible launches, supposed to resurface at 3 p.m., but an hour and 45 minutes into the dive, it loses contact.
Sunday, June 18, 5:40 p.m. ET: Coast Guard receives report of overdue submersible.
Monday, June 19: Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, North Carolina, and C-130 Hercules aircraft, as well as a Canadian P8 aircraft equipped with underwater sonar capability, search for the missing submersible.
Tuesday, June 20, 7 a.m. ET: Bahamian research vessel Deep Energy arrives.
Tuesday, June 20, 4 p.m. ET: C-130 crew from Air National Guard 106th arrives.