The last ‘ping’ from the tourist submersible before it vanished has revealed details about its last known movements.
US and Canadian rescuers are racing against time to locate the missing submersible after it vanished on Sunday (18 June) some 435 miles (700km) south of Newfoundland, Canada.
There are five people on board the missing vessel, named the Titan, which is operated by OceanGate Expeditions.
The missing vessel lost contact with the research vessel Polar Prince – which is used to transport submersibles to the Titanic wreckage site - one hour and 45 minutes into the dive, the US Coast Guard said. News of the missing vessel came to light on Monday (June 19).
Weighing 23,000 lbs and with the ability to reach depths of up to 13,100 ft, the vessel has 96 hours of life support available for a crew of five.
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The Titan sends a ‘ping’ to the Polar Prince every 15 minutes however, during Sunday’s mission, the submersible is understood to have lost contact with the Polar Prince – which remains above water on the surface - for at least seven hours.
A source claimed that the Titan was directly above the Titanic wreckage when it last made contact with base at around 10 a.m US time on Sunday, the Times reports.
The Titanic wreckage lies some 435 miles (700km) south of St John’s Newfoundland and at a depth of some 12,500 feet (3,800m).
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OceanGate, the tour firm running the Titanic mission. said in an Instagram statement on Monday that all options were being explored to rescue the five people onboard.
“Our entire focus is on the crewmembers in the submersible and their families,” the firm said. “We are deeply thankful for the extensive assistance we have received from several government agencies and deep sea companies in our efforts to [re-establish] contact with the submersible.
“We are working toward the safe return of the crewmembers.”
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Crew members are believed to have paid $250,000 for a ticket for the eight-day trip.
During a press conference on Monday afternoon, Rear Adm John Mauger of the US Coast Guard said "We anticipate there is somewhere between 70 and the full 96 hours available at this point."
Rear Adm Mauger said the rescue teams were ‘taking this personally’ and were doing everything they could to bring the tourists ‘home safe’.
One of the passengers on board includes British billionaire businessman and explorer Hamish Harding.
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A father and son are also onboard the submersible, their family have confirmed.
Shahzada Dawood, 48, and his son Sulaiman Dawood, 19, are on the missing vessel which was set to plunge into the Atlantic Ocean to find the remains of the Titanic.
The family of Shahzada Dawood said: "Our son Shahzada Dawood and his son, Suleman, had embarked on a journey to visit the remnants of the Titanic in the Atlantic Ocean.
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"As of now, contact has been lost with their submersible craft and there is limited information available."
Gregory Robinson