Submarine ‘Titan’ that led people to see ‘Titanic Wreckage’ is missing

It was in 2021 that OceanGate Expeditions embarked on what was expected to become an annual journey to document the decline of the Titanic.

Submersible Titan (top) and Titanic Wreckage (bottom). (Images: oceangate.com)

Submarine ‘Titan’ is missing: This may be the very first news story about the RMS Titanic, the White Star Line-operated British passenger liner that sank in the North Atlantic on April 15, 1912 after striking an iceberg on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York . City, United States.

The much-celebrated ship is now at a depth of about 3800 meters in the ocean.

Now, 111 years later, a submarine carrying people to view the Titanic wreckage is missing.

The US Coast Guard told BBC News that a search was underway off the coast of Newfoundland on Monday. OceanGate Expeditions confirmed it was the owner of the missing ship.

“We are exploring and mobilizing all options to return the crew safely. Our full focus is on the submarine crew and their families,” OceanGate Expeditions said in a statement to BBC News.

The U.S. Coast Guard in Boston did not immediately return reports from The Associated Press. However, the Joint Rescue Coordination Center in Halifax, Nova Scotia, said a Canadian military aircraft and a Canadian Coast Guard ship are assisting the search, which is being led by the US Coast Guard.

It was in the year 2021 that OceanGate Expeditions embarked on what was expected to become an annual journey to chronicle the decline of the iconic ocean liner that collided with an iceberg in 1912 and sank.

The company said at the time that in addition to archaeologists and marine biologists, the expeditions would include about 40 paid tourists who would take turns operating sonar equipment and performing other tasks in the five-person submarine.

The first group of tourists funded the expedition by spending anywhere from $100,000 to $150,000 each.

Of the estimated 2,224 passengers and crew aboard Titanic, more than 1,500 died, making it the deadliest sinking of a single ship to date and still the deadliest sinking of a peacetime ocean liner or cruise ship.

The disaster captured the public’s attention, provided foundational material for the disaster film genre, and inspired many artistic works. The most notable is the 1997 Hollywood movie ‘Titanic’ directed, written, produced and co-edited by James Cameron and starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio.

(With input from BBC and The Associated Press)