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Submarine on expedition to Titanic wreckage goes missing

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 A Canadian research submersible disappeared on Sunday after it went on an exploration of the  Titanic wreckage.

According to the Coast Guard, the submersible was carrying a five-person crew from the Canadian research vessel Polar Prince and started a dive on Sunday morning.  After an hour and 45 minutes, the Polar Prince lost contact with the vessel. It is not known whether any tourists were on board.

Wreck of the Titanic.
Nauticus via AP, file

 The commander of the Coast Guard district leading the search, Rear Admiral John Mauger, said they received a call for help from OceanGate after the crew lost contact and missed its return time.  A surface and aerial search were launched immediately by the Coast Guard, he said.

“We really brought all assets that we have available to us to bear on finding the submersible and the people in it,” Mauger said. “We understand from the operator of the submersible that there is a 96-hour reserve capacity on there, and so that gives us some time to affect a search. But when when something happens on the high seas, it gets complicated quickly.”

The Coast Guard has brought in technical experts, dropped sonar buoys to listen for underwater noise, and reached out to other government agencies and private contractors for aid and “to really better understand what an undersea search and rescue effort would look like.”

The company that charters trips to explore wreckage is OceanGate, they stated that they are working with numerous government agencies to aid in the rescue of the crew on its submersible.

“Our entire focus is on the crew members 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,” the company said.

The submersibles have shorter power cycles than regular submarines and are connected to a mother ship which was the Polar Prince in this instance.  Subs can typically travel long distances unaided.

A has been organized by the Coast Guard to find or recover the submersible and any survivors. The Canadian Coast Guard provided a P8 Poseidon aircraft with underwater detection capabilities to aid in the search.



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