A search and rescue party was dispatched Monday morning to find a submersible sent to look at the wreck of the Titanic in the Atlantic Ocean, according to multiple reports.
The Boston Coast Guard told the BBC it had sent out a rescue mission on Monday, but the Coast Guard did not immediately respond to Forbes.
Five people were onboard the submarine, the Coast Guard told the Guardian.
OceanGate Expeditions, a company that brings tourists to the wreckage, confirmed to the BBC the submersible was part of the company’s latest expedition, which set out last week.
The company is “exploring and mobilizing all options” to bring back the crew and has received assistance from “several government agencies and deep sea companies” in its rescue mission, it told the BBC.
Hamish Harding, a British businessman and aviator, tweeted Sunday he was serving as a “mission specialist” on the expedition, which was scheduled to dive at 4 a.m. Monday morning, he said in an Instagram post.
The Titanic, which infamously sank in 1912 and killed 1,514 of the 2,224 passengers and crew, is at the bottom of the sea roughly 400 nautical miles off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada.
Tourists can take a submersible and do a deep-sea dive to see the wreckage, an opportunity that only became available within the past few years and costs individuals around $250,000. Expeditions include training, gear and meals, and last for about a week, according to the website of OceanGate Expeditions, the most well-known company that brings tourists to see the Titanic. The company sent out an eight-day expedition scheduled to end Tuesday and carrying a maximum of seven tourists, according to its website. Tours usually include three paying guests, along with a pilot and a “content expert,” per its site. Forbes reached out to the company for comment.
In the fall of 2022, a CBS reporter was invited to go on one of OceanGate’s expeditions to the Titanic. He had to sign a waiver that said the submersible was “experimental” and “had not been approved by any regulatory body.” The vessel has “life support” designed to last 96 hours for a five-person crew, BBC reported.
