UK billionaire Hamish Harding is one of five people on board a missing tourist submersible used to take people to see the wreck of the Titanic.
Sky News understands two others on board the vessel, named Titan, are French submersible pilot, Paul-Henry Nargeolet, and chief executive and founder of OceanGate Expeditions, Stockton Rush.
Mr Harding’s stepson Brian Szasz, said on Facebook: “Hamish Harding my step father has gone missing on submarine thoughts and prayers.
“My stepdad Hamish Harding has gone missing on a submarine pray for a successful recovery.
“Thoughts and prayers for my stepfather Hamish Harding as his Submarine has gone missing exploring Titanic. Search and rescue mission is underway.”
OceanGate Expeditions, a company that deploys vessels for deep sea expeditions, said one of its submersibles had gone missing in the Atlantic Ocean and that a search is ongoing.
The US Coast Guard said the 21ft vessel has five people on board, as the US Coast Guard North East said it is searching for the submersible approximately 900 miles off Cape Cod.
It added that the submersible lost contact with research vessel Polar Prince approximately one hour and 45 minutes into the vessel’s dive on Sunday morning.
The main difference between a submersible and a submarine, is that the former needs a mother ship that can launch it and recover it, while a submarine has enough power to leave port and come back to port under its own power.
(L-R) Paul-Henry Nargeolet, Hamish Harding and Stockton Rush (Pics: AP/Facebook/OceanGate Foundation)
OceanGate said in a statement that it was “exploring and mobilising all options” to bring the crew back safely.
The Titanic sank in 1912 after hitting an iceberg and now lies 3,800m (12,500ft) under water in the Atlantic.
Action Aviation, an aviation sales and operations company which Mr Harding is chairman of, said on Twitter on Sunday, that the billionaire was “currently diving” and was part of the Titanic expedition.
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FDCO) said: “We are in contact with the family of a British man following reports of a missing submarine off the coast of North America.”
Vessel has capacity of five people on board
According to OceanGate, the Titan submersible is capable of diving 13,120ft “with a comfortable safety margin”.
David Concannon, an adviser to the company, said Oceangate lost contact with the sub on Sunday morning. It had a 96-hour oxygen supply, he said in an email to the Associated Press.
The vessel operates by pinging back a message every 15 minutes to signal to those ashore that it is safe, however Sky News understands that those pings have not been heard for more than seven hours.
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Footage of submersibles used to see Titanic
Tourists sometimes pay tens of thousands of dollars to be taken to the wreckage of the liner.
OceanGate Expeditions charges $250,000 (£195,270) for a place on its eight-day expedition.
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OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush speaks to Sky News in February 2023
Deep submersible diving is ‘very dangerous’
An explorer has described deep submersible diving as “very dangerous” but added that it is high tech and he is “very hopeful”.
Larry Daley, Newfoundland and Labrador Titanic Explorer said: “Deep submersible diving is very dangerous. But it’s high tech, you know. And each year goes by, the equipment gets better, the technology gets better and so on.
“So I’m very hopeful and very positive. I mean, I was in the sub for 12 hours. We have our own breathing system on board. And if that’s maintained properly, like changing your filter and your Co2 scrubber, you can stay down under for, you know, quite a few hours.
“And in our case, you know, I was down there for 12 hours total time in the sub. And the new technology obviously can extend that too, right.”
The Titanic sank on 15 April 1912 during its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York after hitting an iceberg, with some 1,500 people dying in the disaster.
