The Mystery of the Missing Titanic Submersible On June 18, 2023, a submersible named Titan, operated by OceanGate Expeditions, embarked on a dive to the Titanic wreck site in the North Atlantic. The five-person crew consisted of an operator and four mission specialists, who paid up to $250,000 for a seat on the expedition. However, something went wrong during the dive, and the submersible lost contact with its surface vessel, the Polar Prince, around 11:45 a.m. local time. Since then, a massive search and rescue operation has been underway, involving multiple agencies and assets from the U.S. and Canada. The Titan submersible is designed to withstand the extreme pressure and temperature of the deep ocean, and can dive up to 4,000 meters (13,123 feet). It has a white hull with blue stripes and a large dome-shaped window in the front. It is equipped with cameras, lights, sonar and communication systems. It also carries an emergency locator beacon that should activate automatically if the submersible sinks below its maximum depth. The Titanic wreck site is located about 900 miles east of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, in water with a depth of about 13,000 feet. The Titanic sank on April 15, 1912, after hitting an iceberg during its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York. More than 1,500 people died in the disaster. The wreck was discovered in 1985 by a joint U.S.-French expedition led by Robert Ballard and Jean-Louis Michel. Since then, several expeditions have visited the site, including one by James Cameron in 1995 that resulted in the film Titanic. The search and rescue operation for the missing submersible has faced many challenges due to the remote location, the harsh weather conditions and the vast area to cover. The U.S. Coast Guard has deployed C-130 aircraft to conduct aerial searches, while the Canadian military has provided a P-8 Poseidon aircraft with underwater detection capabilities. Several vessels from both the public and private sectors have also joined the search, some with side-scan sonar and remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROVs). The Coast Guard has

estimated that the submersible had between 70 to 96 hours of breathable air left as of Monday afternoon. On Wednesday morning, authorities announced that they had detected potential signs of life from the submersible. The Canadian vessel HMCS Halifax reported hearing underwater noises in the search area that could be from the submersible’s communication system or its emergency beacon. The Coast Guard said that ROVs were deployed to investigate the source of the noises and try to establish contact with the submersible. However, as of Wednesday evening, there was no confirmation of the submersible’s location or condition. The fate of the missing submersible and its crew remains unknown at this time. The families and friends of those on board are anxiously waiting for any news or updates from the authorities. OceanGate Expeditions has expressed its gratitude for the extensive assistance it has received from various agencies and companies in its efforts to reestablish contact with the submersible. The company has also said that its entire focus is on the crew members and their families. The missing submersible is not the only submarine-related incident that has made headlines recently. In April 2021, an Indonesian submarine with 53 crew members sank off Bali after losing contact during a torpedo drill. All aboard were killed in what was one of Indonesia’s worst naval disasters. In May 2021, a French submarine that had been missing for more than 50 years was found in the Mediterranean Sea by a private company. The Minerve had vanished in 1968 with 52 sailors on board during a naval exercise. The cause of its sinking remains unclear. Submarines are complex and risky machines that operate in a hostile environment. They are also fascinating and mysterious vehicles that can explore parts of the ocean that are inaccessible to most humans. They can reveal secrets of history, science and nature that lie beneath the waves. They can also pose threats or challenges to security, diplomacy and sovereignty in times of conflict or tension. Submarines are both wonders and dangers of the deep.