OceanGate’s tourist submarine Titanic, which landed on the wreckage of the Titanic, has disappeared in the Atlantic Ocean, according to a report from CBS News and the BBC. When the company last wrote on Twitter on June 15 about the progress of the expedition, OceanGate has now confirmed the loss and announced that it is searching for the device.
Citing Lieutenant Jordan Hart of the U.S. Coast Guard in Boston, CBS reported that the personnel were “currently conducting a search and rescue operation.” So far, the search has yielded no results. The BBC also reported that the two planes searched for tourist bathtubs.
The OceanGate website indicates that the expedition is scheduled for June 12-20. It is stated that the bath tub can accommodate five people, one of whom controls the ship. Destination, Canada, Newfoundland, St. John’s city.
According to the news of the British newspaper The Guardian, there are five people in the bathtub. It was noted that British businessman Hamish Harding could be on the submarine – one of the seats in the device was allegedly reserved in his name. It is known that Harding took part in the Blue Origin NS-21 mission and went into space on June 4, 2022.
However, Harding announced on Instagram on June 17 (the owner of Meta is recognized as an extremist and banned in Russia) that he will be participating in diving as part of the OceanGate mission on June 18.
“We set off from Newfoundland yesterday and plan to start diving around 4pm tomorrow. Until then, we have a lot of preparation activities and briefings to do,” he said.
Action Aviation, headed by Harding, said it had given OceanGate a head start the day before.
“My thoughts and prayers are with my stepfather, Hamish Harding, whose submarine was lost while exploring the Titanic. The search and rescue operation is in full swing, Brian Zas, the adopted son of a 58-year-old businessman, told Sky News.
CBS also reported that a year ago, their reporter, David Baugh, was on an expedition on Titan. Pogue said that when he got on the ship, which “accorded to him about the same area as a minivan,” he could not help noticing how many parts of this submarine looked like improvisation. with ready-made components “including the game controller used to control the submarine”.
Following the news of the missing Titan, Baugh said that on the eve of the dive, the submarine was not equipped with an emergency buoy, and its placement on the eve of the expedition was actively discussed. It is also known that in 2022, communication with the crew on the ship was cut off for five hours with the device.
On June 1, the company reported that communication with the device was established via the StarLink satellite system.
Irish diver Rory Golden was on board the ship that launched the Bathyscaphe. On his Facebook page (Meta’s owner was recognized as an extremist and banned in Russia), he wrote that the crew needed to be in order:
“We’re all focused. Please don’t ask for their names. [кто находится на борту]because it is untouchable. I’ve seen inappropriate comments on social media before. I want to thank everyone who tried to send me a WhatsApp message. There is a situation that the search and rescue service is dealing with.<…> Information and updates will be posted as needed.”
What is known about OceanGate devices
The company says the Titan submersible is the only mini-sub in the world that can reach the Titanic wreckage at a depth of just under four kilometers.
Here’s how OceanGate advertises its dives:
“Follow in the footsteps of Jacques Cousteau and become an underwater explorer – start by diving into the wreckage of the Titanic. This is your chance to go beyond everyday life and discover something truly extraordinary. Be one of the few to see the Titanic with your own eyes. Your dive is just thrilling. “Not only will it provide an exciting and unique travel experience, it will also help the scientific community learn more about the submerged and deep ocean environment. Every dive has a scientific purpose, and you can learn more about the research we support here.”
The company says the Titans are equipped with a real-time ship health monitoring system. Using various sensors along the entire border of the submarine, it analyzes the pressure change while sinking and transmits it to the ship’s commander to stop it from descending and surfacing in case of danger.
OceanGate began accepting small teams of “citizen scientists” two years ago for $125,000 per person on a mini-submarine. Now its cost is 250 thousand dollars.
The air supply in the device is designed for 96 hours.