This is thought to be the last photo of the missing tourist submersible that has five people onboard including British billionaire Hamish Harding.
The vessel has been missing since yesterday afternoon, and experts have warned that it may have become stuck in the wreckage of the Titanic that it was diving to admire.
The missing submarine was designed with a 96 hour "emergency capability," Rear Adm. John Mauger, who is leading the rescue mission, announced at a press conference this evening - meaning it is thought to have around 70 hours left.
It lost contact an hour and 45 minutes into a dive towards the Titanic wreck, according to the US Coast Guard. The Titanic wreck sits about 3,800m (12,500ft) below sea level at the bottom of the ocean
Missing Brit billionaire
Three of the crew members on board the submersible exploring the shipwreck of the Titanic which has disappeared in the Atlantic have been identified, and one even issued a chilling warning about deep-sea exploration previously.
The three identified so far are said to include billionaire British explorer Hamish Harding, French submersible pilot Paul-Henry Nargeolet and CEO of OceanGate Expeditions Stockton Rush.
Hamish Harding's stepson confirmed on Facebook that his stepfather, 58, was on board the Titanic submersible when it went missing, asking for "thoughts and prayers".
The two other passengers are Paul-Henry Nargeolet and Stockton Rush. Mr Nargeolet, 73, is the Director of Underwater Research Program at Premier Exhibitions, RMS Titanic, Inc.
He previously issued a chilling warning, speaking frankly of the extreme dangers of deep-sea exploration. "If you are 11m or 11km down, if something bad happens, the result is the same," he warned.
"When you're in very deep water, you're dead before you realise that something is happening, so it's just not a problem."
OceanGate Expeditions, the private company which organises deep-sea expeditions, has confirmed in a statement that it owns the missing submersible.
The company's managing director Mark Butler said the crew set out on Friday.
"Every attempt is being made for a rescue mission. There is still plenty of time to facilitate a rescue mission, there is equipment on board for survival in this event," he said. "We're all hoping and praying he comes back safe and sound."
Chris Parry, a retired navy rear admiral from the UK, told Sky News the rescue mission is "a very difficult operation."
"The actual nature of the seabed is very undulating. Titanic herself lies in a trench. There's lots of debris around. So trying to differentiate with sonar in particular and trying to target the area you want to search in with another submersible is going to be very difficult indeed," he said.
In an interview, Mauger said that the agency did not have the right equipment in the search area to do a “comprehensive sonar survey of the bottom.” He said, “right now, we’re really just focused on trying to locate the vessel again by saturating the air with aerial assets, by tasking surface assets in the area, and then using the underwater sonar.”
Mauger said that one of the aircraft being used in the search could detect underwater noises. “But it is a large area of water, and it’s complicated by local weather conditions as well,” he said.
On a mission to see Titanic
The sub, owned and operated by OceanGate Expeditions, was taking a crew of five people including company CEO Stockton Rush, French explorer PH Nargeolet and Harding, 12,500ft underwater as part of its $250,000-a-head Titanic tour yesterday.
The crew launched at around 4am on Sunday but lost communication with the mothership just one hour and 45 minutes later.
“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,” OceanGate said in a statement. “We are working toward the safe return of the crewmembers.”
"Our thoughts are with the crew members and the families of those onboard the submersible," says Rear Admiral John Mauger of the U.S. Coast Guard in the official press conference. "We are doing everything that we can do to make sure that we can locate and rescue those on board."
"After receiving the call, we launched... and began a surface search. At the same time, we launched the C130 aircraft to conduct a visual radar of the sea," continued Mauger. He confirmed that rescue efforts are being handled by a number of coordinated efforts by a few search and rescue teams, including the Canadian Coast Guard.
Fears vessel could be stuck in wreckage
The missing Titanic submersible could be stuck in the wreckage of the Titanic that it was diving to explore - an official has admitted.
Tonight Rear Admiral John Mauger, who is helping coordinate the search, said the US Coast Guard is working “as hard as possible” to find the submersible.
He conceded the craft may be tangled in the wreckage of the Titanic.
“We're working as hard as possible, bringing all assets to bear to try and find the submersible. We were notified on Sunday afternoon,” said Mauger.
“We began immediately to mobilise assets to search both the surface of the water, search from the air, and to detect any vessels under the water as well. "We've had a comprehensive search to find these people.
“A frantic marine search is underway for a missing tourist submersible which has not been seen since it launched to take five people to the Titanic wreckage”.
He said the rescue mission was “very complicated,” given how far out at sea the sub is.
Alarm sparked yesterday
The Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia, said the vessel was reported overdue on Sunday evening about 435 miles south of St John's, Newfoundland.
Lieutenant Commander Len Hickey said a Canadian Coast Guard vessel and military aircraft were assisting the search effort led by the US Coast Guard in Boston.
OceanGate Expeditions confirmed the search for its five-person submersible and said its focus is on those aboard the vessel and their families.
David Concannon, an adviser to the company, said OceanGate lost contact with the sub on Sunday morning. He said it had a 96-hour oxygen supply in an email to the Associated Press on Monday afternoon.
"Now 32 hours since sub left surface," said Mr Concannon, who added he was supposed to be on the dive but could not go due to another client matter. He said officials are working to get a remotely operated vehicle that can reach a depth of 20,000ft to the site as soon as possible.
Huge stretch of sea to search
Search and rescue crews are frantically scanning more than 12,500 feet of open water near the historic site of the Titanic wreckage as five people are missing aboard a submersible.
Depending on where the submersible was when it lost contact with OceanGate, the company in charge of the mission, it could theoretically be anywhere within a 370-mile stretch of the Atlantic Ocean between the wreck and the Newfoundland, Canada, coast.
It is believed to be near the wreckage, however, according to journalist Steve Norris — and that's where crews are focusing their search for the vessel, which the US Coast Guard confirmed was carrying five people.
A map which is hosted on OceanGate's website, shows the location of the RMS Titanic wreck, relative to St John's and Newfoundland, where the submersible was heading before it lost contact.
Theories of where it could be
Speaking to SkyNews, Former Rear Admiral Chris Parry said: "It's very concerning indeed. Having listened to the timescale it's very worrying."
He outlined five possible explanations for the submersible losing contact and explained the 'only hope' they had in rescuing those in the underwater craft.
Mr Parry said: "I mean there's an optimistic option that is either they lost an umbilical connection with the surface or indeed there's been a malfunction and the submarine is continuing to operate but obviously out of contact with its mother ship.
"Obviously at the other end of the scale there could have been an accident. It could have become entangled in the wreckage of the Titanic. It could indeed have had a catastrophic failure.
The answer is we don't know just yet."
He emphasised the difficulties faced by rescue crews, saying: "What we do know of course is the wreck site is off the Grand Banks and a long way from anywhere. The nearest rescue facilities will be on the east coast of the US.
He continued: "It's a very difficult operation. The actual nature of the sea bed is very undulating. The Titanic herself lies in a trench.
"There's lots of debris around so trying to differentiate with sonar in particular and try to target the area you want to search in with another submersible will be very difficult indeed."
Mr Parry added: "The only hope I think one has is that the mother ship will have a stand by craft that can actually go down and investigate immediately.
