Billionaire Explorer Missing in Titanic Expedition

(NewsReady.com) – The Titanic wreckage is more than a century old but is still the subject of curiosity. It sits 13,000 feet below the surface of the North Atlantic Ocean, making it impossible to get to it without a submarine. A recent expedition to the wreckage went very wrong. On Thursday, June 22, it was announced that all five aboard the underwater craft have perished.

On Sunday, June 18, a submersible named Titan, carrying five people, began an expedition to the Titanic’s resting grounds, about 900 miles off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. OceanGate Expeditions, based out of Newfoundland, Canada, owns the submersible and hosted the trip. It was supposed to take the vessel about two hours to reach the wreckage, but about an hour and 45 minutes into the trip, the support ship, the Polar Prince, lost communication with the Titan.

According to authorities, OceanGate Expeditions Founder and CEO Stockton Rush was on the submersible. So was Hamish Harding, a British businessman who owned Action Aviation. Shahzada and Sulaiman Dawood, a Pakistani businessman and his son, were also on the trip. Paul-Henri Nargeolet, a diver who knows Harding, was reportedly the fifth person aboard the vessel.

Missing are Shahzada Dawood (left), a UK-based board member of the Prince's Trust, and his son Sulaiman, 19. Stockton Rush, CEO & Founder of OceanGate. World-renowned explorer Hamish Harding. Paul-Henri Nargeolet, a French maritime expert with over 35 #Titanic dives. #Titanicfive pic.twitter.com/ibMSMPekqV

— Save Titanic Memorial Lighthouse (@TitanicNewYork) June 20, 2023

The US Coast Guard had held a press conference on Tuesday that reported the sub had about 40 hours of breathable air on board. Coast Guard Capt. Jamie Frederick explained the estimate was based on the 96 hours of oxygen on board when the expedition began.

With the arrival of the news that US Coast Guard vessels found debris consistent with the craft about 1600 feet from the wreck of the Titanic, talk has now turned to whether or not recovery of the five men is even possible. Due to the atmospheric pressure and other factors on the ocean floor, the remains may never be recovered.