Officials are conducting a search and rescue mission for a submersible that went missing during a trip to the wreckage of the Titanic.
The Titanic infamously hit an iceberg on its maiden voyage and sank in the North Atlantic Ocean in April 1912, killing over 1,500 people. The wreckage of the Titanic, discovered in 1985, sits in two parts at the bottom of the ocean nearly 13,000 feet below the surface southeast of Newfoundland.
Now, costly private tours have been offered to tourists, allowing people to see the wreck up close. The missing tour was operated by Ocean Gate Expeditions.
An archived version of OceanGate’s website, accessible via the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine, lays out what passengers can expect on the trip.
“Follow in Jacques Cousteau’s footsteps and become an underwater explorer — beginning with a dive to the wreck of the RMS Titanic. This is your chance to step outside of everyday life and discover something truly extraordinary,” the website said. “Become one of the few to see the Titanic with your own eyes.”
The eight-day expedition is based out of St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada, with a maximum of six people. The trip begins with a 400-nautical-mile journey to the wreck site.
There, up to five people, including a pilot, a “content expert” and three paying passengers, on board the submersible named “Titan” and descend to the bottom of the ocean.
