Five passengers hoping to explore the Titanic wreck via an exclusive tourist experience have gone missing in a submersible called the Titan, since they went into the Atlantic Ocean on Sunday morning, June 18, 2023.
Source: OceanGate
What should have been a roughly ten-hour round trip has stretched into days. The vessel’s last contact with land was a “ping” to its support ship, Port Prince, on Tuesday.
Here’s what we know about the situation so far:
Which tourist company is behind the Titanic expedition?
OceanGate Inc, a privately owned company in the United States, headquartered in Everett, Washington. Founded in 2009, it provides access to the deep ocean through crewed submersibles and launch platforms.
How much did passengers pay?
OceanGate Inc charged a total of $250,000 per tourist for the experience. It was part of a ten-day mission (eight days at sea) in five legs.
When did they go missing?
Five passengers, including Stockton Rush, founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of OceanGate Inc, embarked on the two-hour descent to the Titanic’s wreck at 1 p.m WAT on Sunday. The submersible was reported overdue by Sunday evening, having lost contact with its support ship an hour and 45 minutes after going underwater.
Who are the people in the submersible?
There are five people onboard the Titan.
Source: New York Times
Stockton Rush (Founder and CEO, OceanGateInc), who’s said to be piloting the vessel.
Source: NewYorkTimes
Hamish Harding, a British billionaire and serial explorer who went on an outer space mission in 2022.
Source: NewYorkTimes
Paul-Henri Nargeolet, a French maritime expert and veteran Titanic visitor.
Source: NewYorkTimes
Shazhada Dawood and Suleman Dawood, British-Pakistani businessman and his 19-year-old son.
How much time do they have?
OceanGate designed the Titan submersible to carry five people and provide 96 hours of oxygen for all on board. As of 1p.m. on Tuesday, the US Coast Guard said it likely had about 40 hours of oxygen left. The oxygen is bound to last until Thursday morning, which means it’s crucial for the submersible to be located and retrieved before this time.
Are there search operations underway?
Search agencies from the US and Canada have commenced rescue missions for the OceanGate Titan submersible. The US Coast Guard says as of Wednesday, an area two times the size of Connecticut in the U.S., up to 2.5 miles (4 kilometres) deep has been searched.
Is OceanGate’s Titan submersible different from a submarine?
Source: OceanGate
Unlike a submarine, which is much bigger complex in design, a submersible has limited features. It has a limited power reserve and can’t stay underwater as long as a submarine, which can spend months there. OceanGate’s Titan weighs 10,432 kg (23,000 lbs), has a five-person capacity and can go 4,000 meters (13,123 feet) underwater.
Is this OceanGate’s first expedition to the Titanic wreck?
There have been successful expeditions to the Titanic wreck in 2021 and 2022.
How deep in the ocean is the Titanic wreck?
Source: FoxWeather
The Titanic wreck is about 12,500 feet below sea level. For context, the tallest building in the world, Burj Khalifa is 2,717 feet tall.
When did the Titanic sink?
The Titanic sank in April 1912, after hitting an iceberg on the North Atlantic Ocean. The ship had over 2000 passengers onboard and was headed to New York City after departing Southampton on its maiden voyage.
After the ship — which was the biggest ever at the time — sank, Titanic’s wreck remained hidden from human sight for over 70 years. American oceanographer and marine geologist, Robert Ballard, finally found it in 1985. Since then, it’s been a fixture of international curiosity, further made popular by James Cameron’s award-winning movie, Titanic, in 1997.
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