Social media has exploded with news that a tourist submarine meant to visit the wreckage of the Titanic has gone missing. A massive search operation is now underway. Here’s what we know so far:
- Five people are aboard the Titan submarine. The ship departed Sunday morning at 9am and has a 4-day air supply. The location of the launch is about 900 miles east of Cape Cod and at a depth of 13,000 feet.
- The submarine was supposed to return Sunday evening at 6:10pm.
- There is one operator aboard the submarine and the other four passengers are called “mission specialists” by the company that owns the submarine, OceanGate Expeditions. The “mission specialists” pay $250,000 for their ticket aboard the Titan.
In a CBS report, missing OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush talked about buying parts of the submarine from Camping World. - The submarine was being tracked by the Polar Prince research ship but it lost contact with the submarine an hour and 45 minutes after it was launched. It takes about three hours to reach the Titanic wreckage and the submarine is expected to check in every 15 minutes.
- The submarine holds enough oxygen to support the five missing people for 96 hours (4 days). This means the latest the submarine can be successfully rescued is Thursday morning.
- Although the purpose of the trip is a tourist viewing of the Titanic wreckage, the submarine has only one small porthole window. Guests view the Titanic wreckage via computer screens.
Missing OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush tells CBS reporter David Pogue that the submarine is run using this gaming remote. - British billionaire and tourist, Hamish Harding, is reported to be among the missing. The other passengers are OceanGate’s CEO and founder, Stockton Rush, retired French Navy commander Paul-Henry Nargeolet, Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son, Suleman Dawood.
- An American reporter, David Pogue, has previously gone on the eight day Titan expedition and said that “everyone who goes aboard the Titan signs a waiver indicating they know it is an experimental vessel, ‘that has not been approved or certified by any regulatory body, and could result in physical injury, disability, emotional trauma or death.’” Six months ago David Pogue reported to CBS that the expedition seems unsafe, saying “It seems like this submersible has some elements of MacGyvery jerry-rigged-ness.”
- So far, two crews from the U.S. Coast Guard have been deployed to search for the missing submarine. A Royal Canadian Air Force aircraft is also part of the search.
- The U.S. Navy does not have a submarine capable of reaching the depth of the Titan.
