Rescue crews from the United States and Canada were looking for a submersible transporting five people to the Titanic’s wreckage on Monday after it vanished in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and had just four days or less of fuel left.

The Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia, said that the missing vessel was reported overdue Sunday night about 435 miles south of St. John’s, Newfoundland. The U.S. Coast Guard in Boston is in charge of the search for the missing vessel.

A commercial ship and two planes from each of the United States and Canada are helping with the search, according to Rear Adm. John Mauger, commander of the First Coast Guard District, and more resources will be deployed as the pursuit goes into the night.

The work is complicated by the operation’s location, which is up to 13,000 feet deep and about 900 miles east of Cape Cod, as well as the requirement to search both above and below the surface of the ocean, he said.

At a news conference, Mauger stated, “It is difficult to conduct a search in that remote location, but we are deploying all available means to make sure that we can find the craft and rescue the persons on board.

Contact with five crew members was lost.

The 21-foot “Titan” submersible, which departed from St. John’s, started its dive Sunday morning, according to a tweet from the Coast Guard. About an hour and a half later, the Canadian ship Polar Prince that was assisting the boat lost communication with it.

A deep-sea exploration business based in Washington, OceanGate Expeditions, stated in a statement that it was the owner of the submersible, a submarine family member that is smaller and less self-sufficient than the traditional military sub.

The company sends marine scientists and archaeologists on its voyages to the Titanic wreck site. As well as free travellers, OceanGate also sends “mission specialists.”

The five people in the submersible alternate between using the sonar equipment and conducting other chores. There were four “mission specialists” and one pilot, according to the Coast Guard’s report on Monday.

According to OceanGate, “we are extremely grateful for the significant support we have received from a number of governmental organisations and deep sea businesses in our efforts to reestablish contact with the submersible.” “We are working to ensure the crew members’ safe return.”

According to Mauger, the submersible has a 96-hour emergency sustainment capacity, which would include oxygen and fuel, based on information provided by the manufacturer. So, he continued, “We anticipate that there will be somewhere between 70 and the entire 96 hours available at this point.”

British traveller aboard

The Associated Press was informed by OceanGate adviser David Concannon that the corporation had lost contact with the submersible early on Sunday.

Officials are hurrying to send a remotely operated vehicle to the scene that can dive to a depth of 20,000 feet, according to Concannon, who claimed he had planned to go on the dive but had to postpone it due to an issue involving another customer. It is thought that the Titanic wreck is 12,500 feet below the surface.

British businessman Hamish Harding, the chairman of Action Aviation, was listed as a passenger. Last June, the seasoned traveller launched into space aboard a New Shepard rocket from Blue Origin.

On January 20, 2023 in Beverly Hills, California, Hamish Harding attends the Living Legends Of Aviation Awards ceremony at The Beverly Hilton.

According to the company’s managing director, Mark Butler, “every effort is being made for a rescue mission.” It’s still possible to organise a rescue operation. Equipment for survival in this situation is on board. We’re all wishing and praying that he returns unscathed.

A week ago, Harding was seen by Richard Garriott, head of the Explorers Club, a New York-based organisation that promotes scientific exploration, and “his excitement was palpable.”

“I know he was looking forward to conducting research at the site,” Garriott stated in a letter to the members. We all share the passionate wish that the crew is safe and the submersible is found as soon as possible.

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