A submarine on a pricey tourist expedition to the Titanic shipwreck in the Atlantic Ocean has vanished — and authorities are now searching for the missing passengers, which includes a famed explorer, authorities and family said.
The Boston Coast Guard said a search began on Monday for the small sub, which takes tourists to view the famous shipwreck that sits about 12,500 feet at the bottom of the ocean off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada, the BBC reported.
OceanGate Expeditions, a private company that provides tours for the site, confirmed that the missing submarine belonged to them, adding that crew members were on board the vessel.
“Our entire focus is on the crewmembers in the submersible and their families,” the company said in a statement. “We are exploring and mobilizing all options to bring the crew back safely.”
The family of world explorer Hamish Harding confirmed on Facebook that he was among the five traveling in the missing submarine.
Harding, a British businessman who previously paid for a space ride aboard The Blue Origin rocket last year, shared a photo of himself on Sunday signing a banner for OceanGate’s latest voyage to the shipwreck.
The traveler boasted about finally being able to get to see the Titanic, noting that because of the poor weather persisting in Newfoundland, Monday morning’s mission would be the only one of 2023.
“We started steaming from St. Johns, Newfoundland, Canada yesterday and are planning to start dive operations around 4am tomorrow morning. Until then we have a lot of preparations and briefings to do,” Harding wrote before the dive.
His stepson, Brian Szasz, shared Harding’s post, writing: “Thoughts and prayers for my stepfather Hamish Harding as his Submarine has gone missing exploring Titanic. Search and rescue mission is underway.”
The family of explore Hamish Harding has confirmed he is missing.
Facebook/Hamish HardingThe company touts the eight-day trip as a “chance to step outside of everyday life and discover something truly extraordinary.”
The dives themselves can last up to 10 hours each, with the company boasting about recent trips to the Titanic on social media.
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https://nypost.com/2023/06/19/titanic-tourist-submarine-goes-missing-in-atlantic-ocean/