Search and rescue operation underway after submarine on Titanic expedition goes missing

Search and rescue efforts were underway on Monday morning to find a sub that had gone missing in the North Atlantic while on an expedition exploring the Titanic wreckage.  The U.S. Coast Guard’s Lt. Jordan Hart told CBS News in Boston that rescuers were currently undergoing “a search and recovery operation” off the coast Newfoundland. 

OceanGate ExpeditionsThe company that operates manned submersibles on deep sea expeditions confirmed the operation in a written statement, saying that it is “exploring and mobilizing” all options for the safe return of its crew.

The company has not revealed how many passengers were aboard the missing vessel, or if any were paying tourists.

OceanGate stated that “our entire focus is the crewmembers and families of the submersible,” adding that the company was “deeply appreciative for the extensive support we have received” from government agencies and companies working in deep waters in its efforts to reestablish a contact with the submarine. 

OceanGate announced on its website and in social media that an expedition was “underway” to the RMS Titanic wreckage, located about 400 miles south of the Newfoundland coastline. 

CBS News contacted the Canadian Coast Guard, who confirmed that the Boston Regional Coordination Center is managing the rescue operation. On a map of the jurisdictions of the various coastal agencies responsible for search and rescue off the North American shore, the Titanic wreckage can be seen within the Boston Center’s area of authority.  

OceanGate announced on Twitter earlier this month that it used satellite company Starlink for communications with its Titanic expedition.

“Despite being in the middle of the North Atlantic, we have the internet connection we need to make our Titanic dive operations a success — thank you Starlink,” the tweet said. The website of the company advertises seven-night trips to see Titanic wreckage for $250,000.

The Titanic expedition was the last tweet that the company made about its business. on June 15.

OceanGate’s Titan submersible is the only submersible in the world that can reach the Titanic’s wreckage, located 2.4 miles beneath the surface of the ocean. CBS News Sunday Mornings correspondent David Pogue Join the crew of a vesselLast year,, along a small group intrepid tourists, went on a trip to the most famous shipwreck in the world.  

Pogue noted that as he settled into the vessel, which had as much space inside as a small van, he couldn’t “help but notice the many parts of the sub that seemed improvised and off-the-shelf,” including a controller for a videogame used to operate the sub.