Submarine used for tourist visits to Titanic wreck goes missing in Atlantic

A rescue mission is underway after a submersible used to take tourists to see the underwater wreck of the Titanic went missing in the Atlantic Ocean on Monday.

The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) confirmed to Fox News Digital that they were currently searching for a lost Titan submersible. Tourists can charter the small craft for visits to the infamous ship through OceanGate Expeditions (OGE), which recently announced new mission crews for a North Atlantic trip on social media.

The Coast Guard says there are five people on board, consisting of one crew member and four “mission specialists,” and that it is conducting an air search for the vehicle, which is designed to surface automatically if there are technical issues.

“We are exploring and mobilizing all options to bring the crew back safely,” OceanGate announced in a statement. “Our entire focus is on the crewmembers in the submersible and their families. We are deeply thankful for the extensive assistance we have received from several government agencies and deep sea companies in our efforts to reestablish contact with the submersible. We are working toward the safe return of the crewmembers.”

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U.K. billionaire Hamish Harding is reportedly on board the submersible, according to a Facebook post from his stepson, Brian Szasz. OGE has not confirmed the identities of anyone on board, however.

Harding confirmed he was embarking on the OGE voyage in a post to his own Facebook account on Saturday.

The USCG Northeast has deployed a C-130 aircraft to search for the vehicle on the surface. Rescue Coordination Center Halifax has also deployed a P-8 Poseidon aircraft, which can drop sonar buoys to search underwater. Other aircraft are en route from both the U.S. and Canada.

The Titan submersible is advertised to have enough life support to keep five people alive for 96 hours, meaning rescuers still have 72 hours to find the vehicle, unless it suffered catastrophic failure and failed to surface.

OceanGate Expeditions offered submersible trips to the wreckage of the Titanic for tourists, but one of its submersibles has gone missing. (Xavier DESMIER/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)

OceanGate announced on Twitter earlier in June that it was relying on Elon Musk’s Starlink to provide internet and communications connection during the expedition. It is not clear whether communications played any role in the submersible going missing.

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OceanGate charges tourists $250,000 for a spot on its expeditions to the Titanic wreckage. The company has yet to comment on the disappearance and could not immediately be contacted due to a surge of internet traffic that crashed the company’s website on Monday.

The Titanic sank on April 15, 1912, after hitting an iceberg on its maiden voyage from England to New York City.

In this image provided by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, an underwater remote vehicle examines an open window of the Titanic.

Monday’s incident comes months after the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) released never-before-seen footage of the Titanic’s wreckage in February. The haunting video was captured in 1986, when the WHOI made 11 dives nearly 12,500 feet below the ocean’s surface to explore the wreckage. 

Alvin, a three-person submersible, was used to take humans down to the wreck for the first time, while a remotely operated vehicle dubbed Jason Jr. was used to go inside the sunken ship.

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This is a developing story. Check back soon for updates.