A still of OceanGate Expedition’s Titan submersible, taken from video. The Titan can carry five people to a depth of 4,000 metres. (OceanGate Expeditions/Reuters)
Dear Commons Community,
This post comes courtesy of this morning’s New York Times.
“A submersible vessel carrying five people slipped into the dark waters of the North Atlantic, heading to what remained of the Titanic, 12,500 feet under the sea. The expedition, like many before it, was a testament to the enduring fascination with the storied ship that struck an iceberg and sank off Newfoundland more than a century ago.
But one hour and 45 minutes into the dive on Sunday morning, the craft went missing, setting off a search by rescue crews from two countries and adding another layer of mystery and intrigue to the Titanic wreck.
Among those on board was Hamish Harding, a British aviation tycoon who took part in Blue Origin’s fifth human spaceflight last year and holds several Guinness World Records, including for the longest time spent traversing the deepest part of the ocean on a single dive.
In social media posts, Mr. Harding, 58, had written excitedly about the upcoming trip. “I am proud to finally announce that I joined @oceangateexped for their RMS TITANIC mission as a mission specialist on the sub going down to the Titanic,” he said on Instagram, adding, “More expedition updates to follow, IF the weather holds.”
On Monday, officials had no explanation for why the craft, called the Titan, lost contact with its Canadian expedition ship on the surface, MV Polar Prince, about 400 miles south of St. John’s, Newfoundland.
“We’re using that time making the best use of every moment of that time,” he said.
The Coast Guard was coordinating with the Canadian authorities and commercial vessels to help search an area approximately 900 miles east of Cape Cod, at a depth of roughly 13,000 feet, he said. Sonar buoys were deployed into the water, and the expedition ship was using sonar to try to locate the submersible. Aircraft from the United States and Canada, along with surface vessels, were scanning the waves in case the submersible had surfaced and lost communications, he said.
God be with passengers and crew!
Tony