The sinking of the RMS Titanic has long been a fixture of fascination, yielding movies, miniseries, books, a Broadway musical, and, of course, conspiracy theories. It’s even inspired tourism. Since 2009, OceanGate Expeditions has allowed interested parties to travel more than two miles below the ocean surface to view the wreckage up close. Now possible tragedy has struck.
As per The New York Times, a submersible ship has gone missing in the North Atlantic, prompting a desperate search-and-rescue mission by the U.S. Coast Guard. It’s not clear how many people were onboard, but the submersibles can only carry five people.
“Our entire focus is on the crew members in the submersible and their families,” read a statement by OceanGate. “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 Titanic trips offered by OceanGate don’t only include a view of the shipwreck. The company’s website details an eight-day itinerary, which begins in the city of St. John’s in Canada. Once underwater, the submersible also visits nearby canyons. The price for these trips runs a whopping $250,000.
The Titanic sunk in the early hours of April 15, 1912 during its maiden voyage from England to New York City. After hitting an iceberg, the ship broke in two and sank to the bottom of the ocean, killing 15,000 people. It wasn’t until 1985 that the wreckage was found, about 400 miles off of Newfoundland.
(Via NYT)
Source: https://uproxx.com/viral/titanic-submersible-tourists-missing/