U.S. and Canadian ships and aircraft searched Monday for a submarine – with two Pakistanis on board – a day off the coast of southeastern Canada while carrying tourists to explore the wreckage of the Titanic, officials said. It had disappeared before.
The U.S. Coast Guard said there was a pilot and four passengers on board and that the boat could have been submerged for up to 96 hours, but it was unclear if it was still underwater or had surfaced and was trying to communicate. was unable to
In a statement, the Daoud family said Prince Daoud and his son, Solomon, “went on a trip to see the remains of the Titanic in the Atlantic Ocean”.
So far, the family said, they have lost contact with the submarine and have limited information about it.
“A rescue effort is being jointly led by multiple government agencies and deep-sea companies to restore contact with the submarine and bring it back safely.”
U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral John Mauger told reporters that U.S. and Canadian ships and aircraft had penetrated an area about 900 miles (1,450 km) east of Cape Cod, dropping some sonar buoys that were 13,000 feet ( 3,962 m) can monitor depth. Monday.
“It’s a remote area and it’s a challenge to find in that remote area,” Mager said.
“We are deploying all available assets to ensure we can locate the vessel and rescue those on board,” he said. “Through this evening we will continue to fly aircraft and move additional aircraft.”
Officials are also reaching out to commercial vessels for assistance, Magar said.
OceanGate Expeditions, the private company that operates the submarine, said in a statement Monday that it was “activating all options” to rescue those on board. According to a social media post by a relative, British billionaire Hamish Harding is among the passengers.
The U.S. Coast Guard earlier said on Twitter that a surface boat – the Polar Prince – had lost contact with the submarine Titan, an hour and 45 minutes after it dived towards the Titanic wreck site on Sunday morning.
“We are deeply grateful for the extensive assistance received from multiple government agencies and deep-sea companies in our efforts to restore contact with the submarine,” OceanGate said.
Harding’s stepson wrote on Facebook that Harding “went missing on a submarine” and asked for “thoughts and prayers.” The stepson later removed the post, citing respect for the family’s privacy.
Harding himself posted on Facebook that he would ride all of them. There are no more posts from him. The expedition headed out to sea on Friday and the first dive was scheduled for Sunday morning, according to Harding’s post.
The expeditions, which cost $250,000 per person, start in St. John’s, Newfoundland, before traveling about 400 miles (640 kilometers) across the Atlantic Ocean to the wreck site, according to Oceangate’s website. According to the OceanGate website.
To view the wreck, passengers climb inside the Titan, a five-person submarine, which takes two hours to descend about 12,500 feet (3,800 m) to the Titanic.
The British passenger ship famously sank after hitting an iceberg on its maiden voyage in 1912, killing more than 1,500 people. The story has been immortalized in non-fiction and fiction books as well as the 1997 blockbuster film “Titanic”.
Passengers aboard Titan
The missing OceanGate submarine had five people on board. Here’s what we know about the passengers so far:
Shahzada Dawood
Prince Dawood, Vice Chairman of the Engro Board of Directors, is a leading voice for the institutionalization of key international networks, including the World Economic Forum (WEF).
He serves as a trustee on the boards of both the Engro Foundation and Dawood Foundation and joined the SETI Institute’s Board of Trustees in 2020. He also serves as a director on the boards of various companies within the Dawood Group, including Dawood Hercules Corporation Ltd and Dawood Lawrencepore Limited.
British billionaire Hamish Harding
Hamish Harding, chairman of Action Aviation, is based in the United Arab Emirates, where his company is headquartered. Action Aviation is a sales and operations company that offers a wide range of services to the business aviation industry.
Harding is a self-proclaimed world explorer. He held the Guinness World Record for the world’s fastest man in an airplane and also participated in the fifth human space flight by the aerospace company founded by Jeff Bezos.
Paul-Henry Nargeolet
French submarine pilot Paul Henri Nargeault is a former commander of the French Navy with a career spanning 25 years. During his service he was the captain of the Deep Submergence Group of the Navy.
He then joined the French Institute for Research and Exploitation of the Sea (IFREMER). Nargolet has been involved in many scientific expeditions around the world, and the Titanic site was one of his many visits.
Stockton Rush
OceanGate CEO and founder Stockton Rush was also on board. He was a trained pilot who became a founder and member of the Board of Trustees of the OceanGate Foundation – a non-profit organization.
