Titanic Shipwreck Tourist Sub Goes Missing, Prompting Search and Rescue
UNDERWATER
A submersible ship meant to take viewers to the site of the Titanic shipwreck has reportedly gone missing. Per the U.S. Coast Guard in Boston, a search and rescue mission has begun in the Atlantic Ocean. The Coast Guard also confirmed that there are five people on board. “We are exploring and mobilizing all options to bring the crew back safely,” Oceangate Expeditions, the company operating the boat, said in a statement. “Our entire focus is on the crewmembers in the submersible and their families.” The company also wrote that they were receiving “extensive assistance” from government agencies and deep sea companies. The Titanic shipwreck currently resides 12,500 feet underwater, around 370 miles off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada. It was discovered in 1985, over seven decades after the ship sank during its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York in 1912. Submersibles visit the Titanic shipwreck somewhat often, taking tourists down to see the underwater artifact for around a $250,000 fee.