The submersible — a watercraft that, unlike a submarine, needs a mother ship to launch it — lost contact 1 hour and 45 minutes into its dive Sunday, the US Coast Guard said. The vessel has between 70 and 96 hours of life support, officials said.
One of the passengers was Hamish Harding, a British national, who was one of the first people to travel the Challenger Deep in the Pacific, the deepest known point on Earth.
The Titanic wreckage, discovered in 1985, sits in two parts at the bottom of the ocean nearly 13,000 feet below the surface southeast of Newfoundland.
OceanGate says it's taking "every step possible" to bring missing submersible crew back to safety
From CNN’s Jackie Wattles
OceanGate Expeditions says it is taking “every step possible” to return the five crew members onboard the missing submersible to safety and focusing its entire search effort on their wellbeing, according to a statement released by the company Monday night.
OceanGate Expeditions is the group that was conducting the expedition to view the wreckage of the Titanic.
“We are deeply grateful for the urgent and extensive assistance we are receiving from multiple government agencies and deep-sea companies as we seek to reestablish contact with the submersible,” the statement read.
Here’s the full statement:
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US Coast Guard to continue surface search for missing submersible throughout the evening
From CNN’s Artemis Moshtaghian
The US Coast Guard tweeted that it will continue to conduct surface searches for the missing submersible throughout the evening.
The Coast Guard tweeted that The Polar Prince, the vessel used to transport the submersible to the site of the Titanic wreckage before the expedition, as well as aerial support from the Air Force’s 106th Rescue Wing will be involved in the surface searches.
Canadian Coast Guard surface and subsurface search, as conducted by Canadian P8 Poseidon aircraft, will continue in the morning, according to the US Coast Guard.
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Titanic's fate has long been a source of fascination. Here are some key facts about the luxury liner
From CNN Staff
The port bow railing of the Titanic lies in 12,600 feet of water about 400 miles east of Nova Scotia as photographed as part of a joint scientific and recovery expedition sponsored by the Discovery Channel and RMS Titantic.
Reuters/FILE
The submersible that has gone missing in the North Atlantic was part of an expedition to view the wreckage of the RMS Titanic, perhaps the most famous shipwreck in the world.
More than 100 years after its disastrous maiden voyage, the fate of the luxury liner has long served as a source of fascination, and been the backdrop for countless books, fiction and non-fiction and, of course, the blockbuster movie.
The ship set sail from Southampton, England, to New York on April 10, 1912.
Then, between April 14-15, it hit an iceberg around midnight and sank in less than three hours.
A total of 1,517 people died and 706 survived out of 2,223 passengers and crew, according to the US Senate report on the disaster.
Here’s more interesting facts on the Titanic:
The ship: The estimated cost of construction was $7.5 million. At the time, the RMS Titanic was the largest passenger ship afloat. The ship’s length was 882 feet, 9 inches, and it weighed 46,328 tons. Its top speed was 23 knots. The wreckage is located about 350 miles off the southeast coast of Newfoundland.
The cause of the crash: The iceberg punctured five of 16 supposedly watertight compartments designed to hold water in case of a breach to the hull. Investigations at the time blamed Capt. Edward Smith for going too fast in dangerous waters, initial ship inspections that had been done too quickly, insufficient room in the lifeboats for all passengers, and a nearby ship’s failure to help. Many maritime safety reforms were implemented as a result of the findings of the investigations.
Smith went down with the ship, and his body was never recovered.
Key dates post-shipwreck:
September 1, 1985 - Scientists from Woods Hole Deep Submergence LAB in Massachusetts, led by Dr. Robert Ballard, and IFREMER, the French Institute Francais de Recherche pour l’Exploitation des Mers, led by Jean Jarry, locate the wreckage of Titanic.
July 13, 1986 - Ballard and his crew use the manned deep-ocean research submersible Alvin to explore the wreckage. The Alvin is accompanied by a remotely operated vehicle named Jason Jr. to conduct photographic surveys and further inspections.
May 31, 2009 - The last known survivor, Millvina Dean, dies at age 97.
April 8-20, 2012 - The 100th anniversary of the Titanic’s voyage. The MS Balmoral traces the ship’s route from Southampton to New York and holds a memorial service, above the wreck, on April 15.
Aircraft and sonar deployed in search for missing submersible. Here's what we know
From CNN staff
JRCC Halifax has launched a Royal Canadian Air Force Aurora aircraft from Nova Scotia to assist in the aerial search for the submersible.
Canadian Coast Guard/FILE
A search and rescue operation is underway for a missing submersible operated by a company that handles expeditions to the Titanic wreckage off the coast of St John’s, Newfoundland, in Canada.
The vessel has between 70 and 96 hours of life support, officials said Monday afternoon.
Here’s what we know so far:
The timeline: The expedition began with a 400-nautical-mile journey to the wreck site, which is about 900 miles off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The submersible began its descent Sunday morning but lost contact with a crew of Polar Prince, the support ship that transported the vessel to the site, 1 hour and 45 minutes into its descent, officials said. The US Coast Guard was alerted that the submersible was overdue and it launched searches on the surface of the water and launched an aircraft to start conducting aerial and radar searches, Rear Adm. John Mauger said during a news conference Monday.
Here’s a map of area:
What we know about the vessel: The submersible, named “Titan,” is 23,000 pounds and made of carbon fiber and titanium, according to the tour operator, OceanGate Expeditions. The 21-foot vessel has life support for up to 96 hours, according to the OceanGate website. Mauger said officials “anticipate that they’re somewhere between 70 to the full 96 hours” of oxygen available on the vessel at this point. The Titanic wreckage, discovered in 1985, sits in two parts at the bottom of the ocean nearly 13,000 feet below the surface.
Who is on board: Five people are in the missing submersible, according to authorities. Businessman Hamish Harding is one of the passengers, according to a social media post by his company, Action Aviation. Typically a pilot, a “content expert” and three paying passengers are on the expeditions, according to the OceanGate website. The cost of joining the eight-day expedition is “from $250,000,” according to the operator. Mauger said the Coast Guard is notifying the families of the people on the submersible.
Search efforts: The effort is incorporating aircraft, sonar buoys and “sonar on the ship that is out there to listen for any sounds that we can detect in the water column,” Mauger said. The Polar Prince is also assisting with the search, a co-owner said. The Canadian Armed Forces and the US Coast Guard have deployed aircraft to the remote area of the North Atlantic.
What’s next: The Coast Guard said its priority is locating the vessel. If crews do find the vessel in the water, then rescue plans will be formed, Mauger said. At that point, the Coast Guard will reach out to the US Navy, the Canadian Armed Forces and private industry partners to assess what “underwater rescue capability might be available,” Mauger said.
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Businessman Hamish Harding is one of the passengers on the submersible, his company says
From CNN's Paul P. Murphy
Hamish Harding is seen in an image released by the Explorers Club.
From The Explorers Club
Businessman and adventurer Hamish Harding is one of the passengers on the submersible that went missing during a dive to the wreckage of the Titanic, according to a social media post by his company, Action Aviation.
OceanGate, the company conducting the expedition, released a statement Monday confirming it lost contact with the submersible but did not specify who was onboard.
Harding, a British national, was one of the first people to travel the Challenger Deep in the Pacific Ocean — the deepest known point on Earth.
The United Arab Emirates-based businessman also made headlines in 2019 for being part of a flight crew that broke the world record for the fastest circumnavigation of the globe via both poles. More recently, he was a passenger on Blue Origin’s June 2022 space flight.
Harding posted on Facebook on Saturday about his participation in the expedition.
Harding posted an image of the submersible to his social media accounts on Saturday, June 17.
From Hamish Harding/Facebook
“I am proud to finally announce that I joined OceanGate Expeditions for their RMS TITANIC Mission as a mission specialist on the sub going down to the Titanic,” the post read.
CNN has reached out to Action Aviation for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
The Explorers Club, a New York-based group of elite explorers and scientists that’s been involved in many of the world’s most prestigious discoveries, confirmed Harding was on the submersible.
President Richard Garriott de Cayeux said he saw Hamish last week and “his excitement about this expedition was palpable,” Cayeux wrote in a statement, “I know he was looking forward to conducting research at the site.”
Harding is one of the founding members of the club.
A spokesperson for the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office told CNN it was aware of reports of a British citizen on the submersible.
“We are in contact with the family of a British man following reports of a missing submarine off the coast of North America,” the spokesperson said.
CNN’s Artemis Moshtaghian contributed reporting to this post.
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Canadian Armed Forces mobilize aircraft to assist in search for missing submersible
From CNN’s Paula Newton
The Canadian Armed Forces is deploying an aircraft to assist in the search for the missing submersible near the Titanic wreckage, a spokesperson told CNN.
“A Royal Canadian Air Force CC-130 Hercules is preparing to join the search as well,” Len Hickey, a senior public affairs officer for the Canadian Armed Forces, wrote in a statement to CNN.
The US Coast Guard said earlier that it had also deployed aircraft that is searching the surface of the ocean and underwater.
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Submersible has 70 to 96 hours of oxygen available, Coast Guard says
US Coast Guard Rear Admiral John Mauger said that the submersible has 96 hours of emergency oxygen on board, based on information received from the vessel operator.
The Coast Guard “anticipate that they’re somewhere between 70 to the full 96 hours” of oxygen available on the vessel at this point, he said during a news conference Monday.
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Priority on Monday is to locate missing Titanic submersible, Coast Guard commander says
Rear Adm. John Mauger speaks during a press conference in Boston on June 19.
WFXT
Right now the Coast Guard said its priority is locating the missing submersible that didn’t emerge on Sunday after an expedition to the Titanic wreckage.
Rear Adm. John Mauger, the commander of the First Coast Guard District that is in charge of operations, said that if crews do find the vessel in the water, then rescue plans will be formed.
Mauger said the Coast Guard is “reaching out to different partners within the US Navy, within the Canadian Armed Forces and within private industry to understand what underwater rescue capability might be available.”
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US Coast Guard is in the process of notifying families of people on board the missing submersible
The US Coast Guard is not releasing the names of the five people on board the missing submersible as they are still in the process of notifying families, an official said Monday.
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Search for submersible being conducted both underwater and on the surface, Coast Guard says
Rear Adm. John Mauger speaks to the media, in Boston on Monday, June 19.
Steven Senne/AP
US Coast Guard Rear Adm. John Mauger said the search for the missing submersible is complex as authorities are searching both underwater and on the surface of the ocean.
He noted that the vessel could have surfaced but may have lost communication with the tour vessel from which it launched on Sunday.
The search is incorporating aircraft, sonar buoys and “sonar on the ship that is out there to listen for any sounds that we can detect in the water column,” he said.
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The location of the search is in a remote area and is a challenge, US Coast Guard says
The location of where search teams are looking for the missing submersible is in a remote location, said Rear Adm. John Mauger, commander of the First Coast Guard District, during a news conference Monday.
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Coast Guard doing "everything that we can do" to locate missing submersible
Rear Adm. John Mauger speaks during a news conference in Boston on June 19.
WHDH
The US Coast Guard is going “everything that we can do” to locate and rescue the people on board the missing submersible that was heading toward the wreckage of the Titanic, said Rear Adm. John Mauger.
Mauger is the Commander of the First Coast Guard District, which is leading the search and rescue operation for the submersible.
During a news conference on Monday, Mauger said the Coast Guard first received a call from the operator of the vessel that the submersible was overdue on Sunday.
After that call, the Coast Guard reached out to the vessel used to transport it to the site of the Titanic wreckage before the expedition and started searching on the surface of the water, Mauger said.
At the same time, the Coast Guard launched an aircraft to start conducting aerial and radar searches, he added.
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US Coast Guard to hold news conference at 4:30 p.m. ET on missing submersible
From CNN staff
The United States Coast Guard will hold a news conference at 4:30 p.m. ET in Boston on the search for the missing submersible near the Titanic wreckage.
“The Coast Guard is searching for five persons after the Canadian research vessel Polar Prince lost contact with their submersible during a dive, approximately 900 miles east of Cape Cod, Sunday morning,” the agency said in a news release.
Rear Admiral John Mauger, Commander of the First Coast Guard District is expected to lead the briefing.
More background: The eight-day expedition is based out of St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada, with a maximum of six people. The trip begins with a 400-nautical-mile journey to the wreck site, according to the tour operator.
There, up to five people board the submersible named “Titan” and descend to the bottom of the ocean.
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Missing submersible lost contact with crew 1 hour and 45 minutes into descent, Coast Guard says
From CNN’s Celina Tebor and Gabe Cohen
The missing submersible near the Titanic wreckage lost contact with a crew 1 hour and 45 minutes into its descent Sunday morning, according to the US Coast Guard.
The 21-foot submersible was carrying five people, the Coast Guard tweeted.
The submersible lost contact with the crew of Polar Prince, the vessel used to transport it to the site of the Titanic wreckage before the expedition, according to the Coast Guard.
Chief Mi’sel Joe of Miawpukek First Nation, which co-owns the Polar Prince, said he received a call Sunday afternoon from the CEO of Horizon Maritime alerting him that the submersible was two hours overdue and hadn’t surfaced.
He was told communication with the sub was lost as it was going down to the wreckage. At that point, he says, requests for search and rescue had gone out.
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A trip on Titanic wreckage expedition costs "from $250,000," according to operator website
From CNN's Eric Levenson
The expedition to explore the wreckage of the Titanic costs passengers “from $250,000,” according to an archived version of the company’s website, accessible via the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine.
OceanGate Expeditions, the company that operates the tour, advertised the experience as a way “to step outside of everyday life and discover something truly extraordinary.”
There, up to five people, including a pilot, a “content expert” and three paying passengers, board the submersible named “Titan” and descend to the bottom of the ocean.
“Once the submersible is launched you will begin to see alienlike lifeforms whizz by the viewport as you sink deeper and deeper into the ocean. The descent takes approximately two hours but it feels like the blink of an eye,” the website said.
As a safety feature, the sub uses a “proprietary real-time hull health monitoring (RTM) system” that analyzes the pressure on the vessel and the integrity of the structure, the company states. It also has life support for a crew of five for up to 96 hours, the website states.
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5 people missing on submersible near Titanic wreckage, US Coast Guard says
From CNN’s Raja Razek
An undated photograph of OceanGate's Titan submersible.
From OceanGate/File
The US Coast Guard is searching for five people aboard a missing submersible near the Titanic wreckage, a spokesperson told CNN on Monday.
The Coast Guard received the first phone call about the missing submersible on Sunday, US Coast Guard Boston Public Affairs Officer Lieutenant Samantha Corcoran told CNN.
According to an archived version of the website run by the tour operator, OceanGate Expeditions – accessible via the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine – the submersible holds up to five people: a pilot, a “content expert” and three paying passengers.
There are two aircraft and a ship on the scene searching, Corcoran said.
One aircraft is a Coast Guard C-130, and the second is a P-8 Poseidon aircraft from RCC Halifax, which is able to search and detect submarines underwater.
A Canadian Coast Guard ship is en route to the area as well, according to Corcoran.
Some background: The eight-day expedition is based out of St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada, with a maximum of six people. The trip begins with a 400-nautical-mile journey to the wreck site.
There, up to five people, board the submersible named “Titan” and descend to the bottom of the ocean.
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Vessel that carried submersible to Titanic site is 1 of 3 ships involved in search and rescue
From Gabe Cohen
Polar Prince, a vessel used to transport the missing submersible to the site of the Titanic wreckage before the expedition, is now assisting with the search and rescue efforts, a spokesperson for Horizon Maritime, a co-owner of the ship, told CNN.
Polar Prince is a former Canadian Coast Guard icebreaking ship, the company said.
Horizon Maritime says it has also dispatched an additional vessel, the Horizon Arctic, to assist. The company’s website says the Horizon Arctic is “designed and equipped for advanced offshore support operations.”
Canadian Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) Halifax dispatched a third vessel — the Canadian Coast Guard Ship Kopit Hopson 1752 — to help in the search and rescue operation, it told CNN.
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Member of Titanic expedition posted photos of the submersible before it launched on Sunday
From CNN’s Paul P. Murphy
From Instagram
One of the people on the missing submersible posted photos of the vessel on Sunday before the launch of the expedition.
The photos were posted on a dive participant’s business Instagram page. They show the submersible sitting in a cradle-like flotation device in the Atlantic Ocean.
A caption accompanying the photos said that it “had a successful launch” and was “currently diving.”
From Instagram
Another post from the account, posted on Saturday, noted that the weather had been bad but a “window” had opened up for Sunday.
Ocean Gate Expeditions, the company running the expedition, has not responded to CNN’s inquiries about what happened during the dive.
CN is not naming the individual at this time but has reached out to their company for comment.
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Expedition participant says team that launched missing sub is "focused on board here for our friends"
From CNN’s Paul P. Murphy
An expedition participant on board the Polar Prince, the ship that launched the now-missing submersible, said Monday that everybody is “focused on board here for our friends.”
Rory Golden made the post on Facebook after being contacted by CNN.
“We have a situation that is now the part of a major Search and Rescue effort, being undertaken by major agencies,” he wrote. “That is where our focus is right now.”
He asked people not to ask for the names of the people on the missing submersible or speculate. “I have seen some comments already on social media that are highly inappropriate and insensitive,” he said.
Golden said that the online and internet options were being restricted “to keep bandwidth available for the coordinated effort that is taking place.”
“The reaction and offers of help globally is truly astonishing, and only goes to show the real goodness in people at a time like this,” he said.
Golden ended the post by thanking everyone and saying, “Think positive. We are.”
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More agencies providing rescue coordination resources in search for missing vessel
From CNN's Raja Razek
The US Coast Guard’s Maritime Rescue Coordination Center in Boston is coordinating the response to a report of a vessel bound for the Titanic wreckage that has gone missing, according to Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
The Canadian government department added that Joint Rescue Coordination Centre JRCC Halifax in Nova Scotia is also providing assistance.
CNN is reaching out to the Maritime Rescue Coordination Center in Boston.
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US Coast Guard mobilizes aircraft in search for submersible near Titanic wreckage
From CNN's Kristina Sgueglia
A still taken from video of the Titanic wreckage released by OceanGate Expeditions in 2022.
OceanGate/Eyepress/Reuters
The US Coast Guard is “bringing all assets to bear” in searching for a submersible near the Titanic wreckage that was reported “overdue” as of Sunday, an official said.
The particular submersible is “advertised to have 96 hours of survival time, I think that’s based on the amount of oxygen available in the capsule and so that gives us some time to continue searching and continue using all means to try and locate the crew members,” District 1 Coast Guard Rear Admiral John Mauger told Fox News.
CNN reported earlier Monday that a search and was is underway for the missing submersible. It is operated by a company that handles expeditions to the Titanic wreckage off the coast of St John’s, Newfoundland in Canada, according to a company statement.
Assets including aircraft were immediately mobilized Sunday, Mauger said, adding the remote part of the ocean 900 miles off the Massachusetts coast is complicating the search and rescue.
US officials are coordinating with the Canadian Coast Guard and armed forces in the area who have also launched two of their own aircraft, he said. One particular piece of equipment has the ability to drop “sono buoys” and detect underwater noises.
“We don’t have equipment on site yet that can do a comprehensive sonar survey of the bottom, but we’re working very closely with our partners both within the federal government and in the Canadian armed forces and with private resources that are there to provide that capability,” he told Fox News.
He said if they were to find the vessel underwater, they would need to coordinate with the US Navy and Canadian armed forces to be able to pull it out.
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Search and rescue underway for missing Titanic submersible
From CNN's Kristina Sgueglia
An undated photograph of OceanGate's Titan submersible. It can hold up to five people on a dive to the bottom of the ocean.
From OceanGate/File
A search and rescue operation is underway for a missing submersible operated by a company that handles expeditions to the Titanic wreckage off the coast of St John’s, Newfoundland, in Canada.
“Our entire focus is on the crewmembers in the submersible and their families,” Ocean Gate Expeditions said in a statement Monday adding, they are “exploring and mobilizing all options to bring the crew back safely.”
“We are deeply thankful for the extensive assistance we have received from several government agencies and deep sea companies in our efforts to reestablish contact with the submersible,” according to a statement provided by CNN News Partner CTV.
“We are working toward the safe return of the crewmembers,” it said.
CNN has reached out to the Boston Coastguard and authorities in Newfoundland, Canada.
Tanika Gray contributed reporting to this post.
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Here's what we know about the expedition to the Titanic wreckage
From CNN's Eric Levenson
Officials are conducting a search and rescue mission for a submersible that went missing during a trip to the wreckage of the Titanic.
The Titanic infamously hit an iceberg on its maiden voyage and sank in the North Atlantic Ocean in April 1912, killing over 1,500 people. The wreckage of the Titanic, discovered in 1985, sits in two parts at the bottom of the ocean nearly 13,000 feet below the surface southeast of Newfoundland.
Now, costly private tours have been offered to tourists, allowing people to see the wreck up close. The missing tour was operated by Ocean Gate Expeditions.
An archived version of OceanGate’s website, accessible via the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine, lays out what passengers can expect on the trip.
The eight-day expedition is based out of St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada, with a maximum of six people. The trip begins with a 400-nautical-mile journey to the wreck site.
There, up to five people, including a pilot, a “content expert” and three paying passengers, on board the submersible named “Titan” and descend to the bottom of the ocean.
