titanic wreck tour cost

Here’s How You Can Visit the Wreck of the Titanic—for $125,000

A series of expeditions will take tourists down to the ill-fated ship in 2021

Courtesy of NOAA/Institute for Exploration/University of Rhode Island (NOAA/IFE/URI)

You’re probably familiar with the RMS Titanic: in 1912, the world’s largest ocean liner of the day embarked on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York, during which she struck an iceberg, sank, and ultimately took more than 1,500 lives. The Titanic’s final resting place remained a mystery until 1985, when American marine geologist Robert Ballard and French oceanographer Jean-Louis Michel discovered the wreck in the crushing depths of the frigid North Atlantic, nearly 2.5 miles beneath the surface of the sea. 

Rather unsurprisingly, visiting the Titanic has become a bucket-list trip for maritime historians, oceanographers, and, well, anyone who has deep enough pockets to go. However, expeditions are rare: only one team has visited the site in-person in the last 15 years. But all that’s about to change.

OceanGate Expeditions , a company that provides well-heeled clients with once-in-a-lifetime underwater experiences, has announced a series of six trips to the Titanic via submersible in 2021. Each has space for nine paying tourists, whose $125,000 tickets will help offset the cost of the expeditions (and put a pretty penny in the pocket of OceanGate owner Stockton Rush).

OceanGate’s expeditions will each run for 10 days out of St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada. Nine tourists, who are actually dubbed “mission specialists” on this expedition, will join the expedition crew on each sailing, and they’ll be expected to participate in the research efforts—this isn’t just a sightseeing affair. OceanGate’s goal is to extensively document the Titanic wreck before it disintegrates entirely due to a deep-sea bacteria that eats iron, which researchers are concerned might happen within the next few decades. As this is a scientific project, mission specialists will have to meet certain physical criteria to ensure their compatibility with the expedition, not to mention training, which includes a test dive.

On each expedition, each mission specialist will be able to partake in a single six- to eight-hour dive to the Titanic via the private Titan submarine, which includes the 90-minute descent and 90-minute ascent. The sub seats five—a pilot, a scientist or researcher, and three mission specialists—and it does have a small, semi-private bathroom for emergencies, in case you were wondering.

Now, it should be known that this isn’t OceanGate’s first attempt to visit the iconic wreck: two previous expeditions had to be scrubbed. (In 2018, the sub was hit by lightning, and its electrical systems were fried, and in 2019, there were issues with sourcing a ship for the expedition.) But hey, perhaps the third time's the charm!

Several international treaties protect the Titanic—the wreck sits in international waters—but their primary goal is to prevent looters and illegal salvage operations from damaging and disrespecting the wreck. However, in terms of tourism, it’s actually perfectly legal to visit the wreck, so long as the expedition doesn’t intrude upon it (i.e., land on the deck or enter the hull.)

“A review of the International Agreement on Titanic, as well as the 2001 UNESCO Convention on Underwater Cultural Heritage, would reveal that non-intrusive visits do not even require a permit or authorization,” said Ole Varmer, a retired legal advisor to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), who was instrumental in negotiating the legal protection of the wreck. “The scope of the prohibition against commercial exploitation of underwater cultural heritage is to prevent unauthorized salvage and looting; it does not include non-intrusive visits regardless of whether they are for-profit or not.”

In terms of OceanGate Expeditions, the company is working with NOAA, the federal agency in charge of implementing the International Agreement on Titanic for U.S.-based Titanic activities, to ensure it follows all protocols set down by that agreement.

There are two major factors to consider regarding ethically visiting the Titanic. First, it’s a memorial site to the lives lost during the disaster, so the wreck should be treated with respect. But that, of course, is true of all memorial sites around the world.

“Speaking as one who visited Titanic’s wreck twice during RMS Titanic, Inc.'s 1993 and 1996 Research and Recovery expeditions, I see nothing unethical about visiting the wreck, nor about helping to defray the significant expense of bringing a visitor to the wreck,” explained Charles Haas, president of the Titanic International Society. “People around the world learn by seeing and visiting. They pay for access to museums, cathedrals, monuments, exhibitions, and, yes, final resting places.”

But second, it’s a fragile piece of cultural heritage. It should be protected—the expedition organizer must take appropriate steps to ensure that it won’t disturb the wreck.

“In the past, submersibles visiting the site by RMS Titanic, Inc. [the only company legally allowed to salvage the wreck], and others have rested on the deck of the hull portions,” says Varmer. “That practice has likely caused some harm and exacerbated the deterioration of the site.  Hopefully, that will no longer be practiced or permitted.”

Per OceanGate’s description of its expeditions, the company’s submersible won’t disturb the wreck, so if you have $125,000 lying around, fee; free to spring for the bucket-list trip of 2021!

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What is submersible tourism? The Titanic expedition, explained.

How common are deep-sea expeditions like the titan’s where else do submersibles go.

Seeing the wreck of the Titanic firsthand is a journey.

One must board a submersible vessel about the size of a minivan built to withstand the pressure of descending nearly two and a half miles into the depths of the Atlantic Ocean . It takes about two hours to reach the sunken ship and another two to get back to the surface, plus time for exploration.

And even with a price tag of a quarter of a million dollars, there has been no shortage of people with interest for such an adventure. Philippe Brown, founder of the luxury travel company Brown and Hudso , said there’s a long wait list for the OceanGate Expeditions submersible experience at the center of the world’s attention. The vessel, called the Titan, vanished Sunday in the North Atlantic with five onboard , triggering a wide-reaching search mission that ended Thursday, when the Coast Guard said a remotely operated vehicle discovered debris from the vessel on the ocean floor. Pieces of the submersible indicated it had imploded in a “catastrophic event," Coast Guard officials said. A spokesperson for OceanGate said the pilot and passengers “have sadly been lost."

For the world’s richest and most intrepid travelers, a submersible trip is not so far-fetched, says Roman Chiporukha, co-founder of Roman & Erica, a travel company for ultrawealthy clients with annual membership dues starting at $100,000.

“These are the people who’ve scaled the seven peaks, they’ve crossed the Atlantic on their own boat,” Chiporukha said. The typical vacation of the ultrawealthy, like a beach getaway on the Italian Riviera or St. Barts, “really doesn’t do it for them,” he added.

That description fits tycoon Hamish Harding , who was among the five people on Titan. An avid adventurer who’s thoroughly explored the South Pole and the Mariana Trench, Harding was also on the fifth spaceflight of Blue Origin , the private space company founded by Jeff Bezos, who owns The Washington Post.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Capt. Hamish Harding (@actionaviationchairman)

Harding and the Titan journey represent the extreme end of the submersible tourism industry, which has been growing in popularity since the 1980s. Ofer Ketter , a longtime submersibles pilot and co-founder of SubMerge , a firm that provides consulting and operations of private submersibles, says such deep-sea journeys are rare in comparison to those in more tropical locations. For example, the luxury tour operator Kensington Tours offers a $700,000, 10-day yacht trip that includes a 600-plus-foot dive in a submersible in the Bahamas to explore the Exumas ocean floor.

Here’s what else to know about the industry.

Deep water, high pressure: Why the Titanic sub search is so complex

Missing Titanic submersible

The latest: After an extensive search, the Coast Guard found debris fields that have been indentified as the Titan submersible. OceanGate, the tour company, has said all 5 passengers are believed dead.

The Titan: The voyage to see the Titanic wreckage is eight days long, costs $250,000 and is open to passengers age 17 and older. The Titan is 22 feet long, weighs 23,000 pounds and “has about as much room as a minivan,” according to CBS correspondent David Pogue. Here’s what we know about the missing submersible .

The search: The daunting mission covers the ocean’s surface and the vast depths beneath. The search poses unique challenges that are further complicated by the depths involved. This map shows the scale of the search near the Titanic wreckage .

The passengers: Hamish Harding , an aviation businessman, aircraft pilot and seasoned adventurer, posted on Instagram that he was joining the expedition and said retired French navy commander Paul-Henri Nargeolet was also onboard. British Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood, 48, and his son, Suleman, 19, were also on the expedition, their family confirmed. The CEO of OceanGate , the submersible expedition company, was also on the vessel. Here’s what we know about the five missing passengers.

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Tourists can visit Titanic shipwreck in 2021 – but it will cost £90,000

Six dives are taking place between may and september, article bookmarked.

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Tourists can take a tour of the Titanic in 2021, the first time the shipwreck has been explored in 15 years.

Packages to visit the submerged vessel are being sold by OceanGate Expeditions for $125,000 (£95,000) a pop.

The transatlantic cruise liner, which famously sank during its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York City in 1912 after hitting an iceberg , is located 4,000 metres underwater, around 370 miles off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada.

Six trips are being planned for next year, taking place from May to September, with 36 tickets already sold. Nine passengers are allowed per excursion, meaning there are 54 places available in total and 18 tickets left.

Visitors will get a private cabin on the eight-day sailing from Canada, plus will get the chance to operate a five-person submarine while completing the 90-minute descent to reach the shipwreck.

• Bahrain to open world’s largest underwater theme park

There are no human remains left onboard, according to experts, but there are many other well-preserved objects that once belonged to guests, including children’s toys, luggage and wine bottles.

“There are boots and shoes and clothes that show where people were 100 years ago, and that is very sombre,” Stockton Rush, president of OceanGate Expeditions, told Bloomberg .

Dives will last six to eight hours, with three hours reserved for exploring the ship itself, and will double up as scientific research missions to examine the sea life surrounding the wreck.  

However, not everyone agrees that tourists should be encouraged to visit.

Beverley Roberts, a descendent of passengers who were on the Titanic, told the BBC that the shipwreck is a “mass grave site” and should be left in peace.

OceanGate Expeditions has already rescheduled the tours several times, first offering the experience in 2018 before it was pushed back to 2019 and now 2021.

It may be one of the last chances to see the shipwreck; a 2016 study found that “extremophile bacteria” could eat away at the vessel within 15 to 20 years.

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How Much Does It Cost to See the Titanic in 2024? | The Aftermath of the OceanGate Titan Tragedy

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It’s the adventure of a lifetime: a journey through the chilly depths to the wreck of the RMS Titanic . The Titanic has captivated us since April 14, 1912, when the “unsinkable ship” collided with an iceberg in the North Atlantic and was lost beneath the chilly waves.

She wasn’t discovered until 1985, and some 36 years later, the OceanGate Titanic Survey Expedition made it possible for you to see the Titanic with your own eyes. Starting in 2021, you could descend to the wreck site in a state-of-the-art submersible and explore the remains of the most famous ship in modern history.

How Much Did It Cost Per Person?

If you wanted to explore the Titanic firsthand, planning ahead is key. You needed to apply to be a Mission Specialist, OceanGate’s term for someone who is part of the submersible team. You also had to pay $125,000 for the entire journey . Although the cost was arguably steep, what OceanGate was offering was an experience that had been impossible before.

Your adventure would start in St. John’s, Newfoundland. You would’ve been trained and coached before and during the entire 10-day journey. As a Mission Specialist, you had multiple opportunities to help crewmembers onboard, dive support ship and the expedition itself as well as the diver operations team, and also be a team member to everyone onboard.

The crew consisted of mission specialists, content experts, a pilot and support crew, a vessel crew, technical experts, a film crew, and a doctor, all totaling about 50 or 60 people on board during the mission.

And then in June 2023, a horrific tragedy happened.

The Titan Submersible Accident

The Titan made 13 voyages to the Titanic in 2021 and 2022 before its tragic implosion on June 18, 2023. The crew members on board the Polar Prince support ship reported it missing when Titan failed to resurface at the planned time. A futile weeklong search followed, involving multiple agencies scouring the North Atlantic for any signs of the Titan. 

However, On June 22, officials from the U.S. Coast Guard confirmed that a debris field had been found on the ocean floor close to the Titanic’s bow. According to Coast Guard Rear Admiral John Mauger at a press conference, the discovery suggested a “catastrophic implosion” of the vessel, meaning it had collapsed inward killing all five members of the crew.

What Does 2024 Hold For OceanGate?

OceanGate has taken down its social media, and its website has gone dark with the following notice:

“ OceanGate Expeditions has suspended all exploration and commercial operations. ”

This came in July, a week after OceanGate said it would suspend all operations. Only the old OceanGate Foundation’s website remains active. The only certain thing is that OceanGate is going to be dealing with lawsuits for years to come.

Before their website was shut down, OceanGate was still advertising trips to the Titanic wreckage. They listed two missions to the Titanic in 2024 — June 12-20 and June 21-29 — at a cost of a staggering $250,000 per person . Go figure…

The U.S. government has filed a motion to stop a Titanic expedition planned for 2024, citing a law that protects the shipwreck as a gravesite. RMS Titanic Inc. , the exclusive salvage rights holder, faces legal opposition. In the federal court motion in Virginia, the U.S. contends that RMS Titanic Inc. must obtain authorization from the Secretary of Commerce for any activity altering or disturbing the Titanic wreck or its site.

In a June periodic report, RMS Titanic Inc. disclosed plans for a 2024 expedition, stating no intention to seek a permit, as noted in the U.S. government’s motion. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Virginia refrains from additional comments.

What Is OceanGate?

OceanGate is an American privately owned company founded in 2009 in Everett, Washington, by Stockton Rush and Guillermo Söhnlein. The company provides crewed submersibles for tourism, industry, research, and exploration purposes to depths of more than 10,000 feet below the ocean’s surface.

Why Did the OceanGate’s Submersible Fail?

Inadequate design, insufficient testing, and the use of carbon fiber as a structural material have all been suggested as contributing factors. The catastrophic loss of OceanGate’s Titan submersible in June 2023 with all hands aboard has triggered widespread speculation regarding the cause of the accident.

Will There Be Future OceanGate Expeditions?

OceranGate’s future is still undecided. The company’s website showing the forthcoming OceanGate expeditions has gone dark following the public outcry after the tragic accident. The next two OceanGate expeditions were supposed to take place on June 12 – June 20, and June 21 – June 29, 2024.

How Many Trips To RMS Titanic Has Oceangate Made?

Prior to the fatal dive, OceanGate’s Titan made 13 successful expeditions to the RMS Titanic to only a handful of people who had the privilege to dive down to the most famous shipwreck in the world. Over the years, Oceangate has conducted more than 200 dives in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf of Mexico. 

What Do You Get on One Submersible Dive?

With the click of a button, Mission Specialists (those who are part of OceanGate’s submersible team) can switch between a camera and sonar to explore the ocean and the ocean floor. They can also view preloaded images of deep-sea species, and the Titanic as they experience an entirely foreign world.

Elizabeth Lavis is a freelance writer who spends the majority of her time traveling the world and seeing exciting and fun new places. She likes physical challenges, such as mountain climbing, and enjoys interacting with interesting people and learning to appreciate new cultures and ways of doing things. Elizabeth is curious about the world around her and is always looking for ways to make it a friendlier and more welcoming place. Read more from Elizabeth on her personal site .

Titanic Tours: What To Know About These Underwater Excursions

With today's advanced technology, it's easier than ever to discover new ways to explore shipwrecks, such as the Titanic, with tours like these.

It's safe to say that when an iceberg pierced the Titanic on its maiden voyage just over 100 years ago, no one was thinking about turning the shipwreck into a tourist attraction. But now, in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the sinking, some travel companies are offering tours of the site. Visitors can take an expensive excursion or they can simply look on Google, where the wreck is pictured in all its rustic, 3-D glory.

It's a surreal sight ― especially if you know that when the Titanic went down in 1912 it claimed more than 1,500 lives. But is visiting the ship such a good idea? Absolutely, yes!

Package Tours On Titanic Shipwreck Underwater Excursions

There are now two companies offering underwater tours of the Titanic's wreckage. Bluefish and OceanGate, which has its headquarters in Everett Washington, both offer dives to the site that cost roughly $60,000- $105,129 per person, not including airfare or lodging. But what do you get for this price? Here's what to know about the tours:

Now that the wreckage is covered with silt again and no longer clear enough for photographs, some pictures taken on previous dives have been reproduced on tours' brochures. Up-close views of Titanic's exterior can also be seen in the James Cameron documentary Titanic.

Bluefish's brochures claim that "the wreck is eminently photographable providing an opportunity for multiple dive photography." OceanGate's website notes that there are at least a dozen friezes from the ship above water. Both tour companies are adamant about protecting the site and the body of water around it, possibly due to the controversy that arose last year when one company was using a ship to drop tourists onto the wreckage.

A Bluefish video demonstrates what it's like inside the sub by dropping a GoPro camera into an empty one as well as dead still sharks. It also shows some footage of Titanic itself before it was covered up with silt and debris.

Tourists will use OceanGate's custom-built submersibles made out of titanium, not unlike those used for space missions like Apollo 13. The sub is big enough for three passengers and has a window, touchscreen monitors for navigation, a pressure gauge, and all the equipment that tourists will need to live.

Both companies will take precautions like deploying a safety diver. They also plan to check guests' lungs for signs of pneumonia before each dive to ensure that they are healthy enough.

The Titanic sank in 1912 and many people died, but the wreck was never declared a cemetery or war gravesite, so knocking on it is prohibited. Both companies also request that tourists don't take chunks of the ship as souvenirs, which has happened before with other famous wrecks like the Lusitania.

RELATED:   This Is What The Menu On The Titanic Would Have Looked Like, Compared To Cruise Menus Today

5 Things To Take Note About the Titanic Wreck Site

Once you’ve decided on which company to go through to visit this sunken piece of history, the basic accommodations are all set! While the entire site itself is a historical wonder, there are a few things to note. Below are different things to be aware of before you take a dive.

What To Bring With You When Visiting The Underwater Wreckage

According to Blue Marble Private, divers should bring nothing larger than a handbag with them on the excursion. Their kit will include a snorkel plus mask, computer, and regulator, wetsuit, and boots.

What To Expect When Diving At The Site Of The Titanic Wreck

Divers will be able to explore the three most important parts of the wreckage, including its bow section, stern and engine room. Each area has plenty of marine life, so you might feel as though you're swimming through a fishbowl.

RELATED:   What Really Happened To The Titanic's Captain, And Did He Survive Like Some People Claimed?

What To Know When Diving At The Site Of The Titanic Wreck

Dive trips are run with a maximum of 12 divers at one time, and the company cautions that diving can be strenuous if you're not fit or healthy enough for it. This is why they recommend medical checks before each excursion.

What Not To Do When Visiting The Underwater Wreckage Of The Titanic

You must report any sightings of the wreck to the government agencies responsible for its protection, i.e., the Maritime and Coast Guard Agency (MCA) in Belfast. You should also respect all regulations that surround this precious archeological site.

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What To Expect From The Marine Life At The Site Of The Titanic Wreck

Titanic wreck excursions are perfect for snorkelers and scuba divers alike , and visitors will be able to reap the benefits of both in one visit. There are plenty of fish to see if you're snorkeling, and you might even spot some whale sharks, too.

What To Know About The Safety Measures In Place For The Tour

According to the Titanic wreck tour operator's website, there are a number of safety measures in place to ensure that visitors have an enjoyable experience. These include two divers per dive, a support crew on the surface, and medical staff. Visitors should always bring a whistle with them, especially since it is an international sign of distress. A knife and glow stick will also be useful in an emergency.

Titanic wreck trips are a unique and exciting way to learn about the history of one of the most famous vessels to ever sail the seas, which is why they're so popular among Titanic enthusiasts as well as people who have never seen it before. They're also great for anyone who loves the water since it's a chance to explore something man-made while enjoying the natural beauty of an underwater ecosystem. The fact that you can set foot where no other human has for nearly 100 years only adds to the appeal, making this one of the most fascinating excursions you can take.

NEXT:   What The Titanic Looks Like Now Vs The Day It Sank

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How much is the Titanic sub tour? Inside the exclusive OceanGate expedition and why it costs so much

Government agencies, us and canadian navies and commercial deep-sea firms have joined efforts to find the vessel belonging to tour firm oceangate.

A search is under way after a submersible that takes tourists to view the wreck of the Titanic went missing in the Atlantic Ocean .

Government agencies, US and Canadian navies and commercial deep-sea firms have joined efforts to find the vessel belonging to tour firm OceanGate.

The luxury tour company that promises unforgettable expeditions to see the wreckage of the Titanic has confirmed one of its submersibles has gone missing.

“We are exploring and mobilising all options to bring the crew back safely,” OceanGate said in a statement.

Who are Ocean Gate and how much does it cost?

OceanGate is a Washington-based company that has been offering trips to the wreck for several years , with six guests per voyage paying $250,000 (£195,000) for the privilege. This includes a guided tour around the famous ship 13,000ft beneath the sea, as well as luxury hospitality aboard an expedition vessel.

“You will arrive at depth, and after some navigating across the seafloor and debris field, finally see what you’ve been waiting for: the RMS Titanic ,” says the company in its brochure.

The wreck of the Titanic lies about 400 miles off the coast of Newfoundland. Without any cell towers in the middle of the ocean, we are relying on @Starlink to provide the communications we require throughout this year’s 2023 Titanic Expedition. More: https://t.co/F7OtKI0En7 pic.twitter.com/wr7HeKlGjj — OceanGate Expeditions (@OceanGateExped) June 14, 2023

“The content expert on board will point out key features, be they of the wreck itself or the life that calls this corner of the ocean home. Enjoy hours of exploring the wreck and debris field before making the two-hour ascent to the surface.”

The eight-day 2023 expedition was listed as “underway” on a cached page of the OceanGate website, with the original no longer online. The company did not answer calls to its office.

It is extremely exclusive, with the company saying it offers “a select number of individuals to explore the vessel that was once the height of opulence, but whose journey would end tragically”. It says it is a “once in a lifetime opportunity” to travel in the world’s only carbon-fibre submersible capable of diving five people.

OceanGate founder, businessman Stockton Rush, founded the company in 2009 promising to make the depths of the oceans accessible.

The former aerospace engineer told CBS News last year that the Titanic trips represent “a new type of travel”, blending adventure, luxury and history.

What happened to the Titanic tourist sub after it goes missing in Atlantic Ocean

The famous wreck holds a powerful allure that draws passionate guests, he said.

“We have clients that are Titanic enthusiasts, which we refer to as Titaniacs,” Mr Rush added. “We’ve had people who have mortgaged their home to come and do the trip. And we have people who don’t think twice about a trip of this cost. We had one gentleman who had won the lottery.”

The expeditions also double as research opportunities for scientists, allowing them to study rare species in the depths of the Atlantic Ocean.

Visitors are warned that the experience can be unpredictable, with weather conditions interfering with previous expeditions.

OceanGate is one of several companies offering trips to the Titanic , located around 370 miles off the Canadian coast, with demand said to be intense. Scientists had previously warned that the number of visits from filmmakers and explorers was damaging the wreck.

Tourist visits to the Titanic have been controversial, with some relatives of victims of the 1912 disaster saying they are disrespectful to the dead.

What happened?

The sub normally communicates with its pilot ship the Polar Prince every 15 minutes but contact was lost about an hour and 45 minutes into the dive, the US Coast Guard 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,” OceanGate said in a statement.

“We are working toward the safe return of the crew members.”

Rear Adm John Mauger of the US Coast Guard told a press conference they are doing “everything” they can to find the submersible.

“Right now, our focus is getting on as much capability into the area as we can,” he said on Monday, adding: “We anticipate that there’s somewhere between 70 to the full 96 hours at this point.

“It is a remote area and a challenge, but we are deploying all available assets.”

The US Coast Guard said the Canadian research vessel Polar Prince and 106 Rescue wing will continue to conduct surface searches while the US Coast Guard sent two C-130 flights to search for the missing submersible.

Who was on board the sub?

Five people were onboard the vessel, including one pilot and two “mission specialists”.

Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood have been named as two of the other people on the submersible in a family statement.

“We are very grateful for the concern being shown by our colleagues and friends and would like to request everyone to pray for their safety,” the statement said.

Among the crew is British businessman and explorer Hamish Harding , chairman of private plane firm Action Aviation.

In a subsequently deleted Facebook post, Mr Harding’s stepson wrote that he had “gone missing on a submarine” and asked for “thoughts and prayers”.

The last pictures from before the dive were shared on Action Aviation’s Instagram account, depicting the submersible setting off into the depths.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cto-21dMXpx/?hl=en

Mark Butler, managing director of Action Aviation, said: “There is still plenty of time to facilitate a rescue mission, there is equipment on board for survival in this event. We’re all hoping and praying he comes back safe and sound.”

Mr Harding holds three Guinness World Records, including the longest duration at full ocean depth by a crewed vessel when in March 2021, he and ocean explorer Victor Vescovo dived to the lowest depth of the Mariana Trench. In June 2022, he went into space on Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket.

His cousin, Kathleen Cosnett, told The Daily Telegraph she saw Mr Harding as “daring” and “inquisitive”, and that she was “devastated” to learn he was missing.

On social media at the weekend, he said he was “proud to finally announce” he would be aboard the mission to the wreck of the Titanic , the luxury ocean liner which hit an iceberg and sank in 1912, killing more than 1,500 people.

The Explorer’s Club, of which Mr Harding is a founding member of, shared the news of his disappearance on Instagram with club president Richard Garriot saying: “When I saw Hamish last week… his excitement about this expedition was palpable,” he said.

“I know he was looking forward to conducting research at the site. We all join in the fervent hope that the submersible is located as quickly as possible and the crew is safe.”

Where is the wreckage of the Titanic?

The shipwreck of the Titanic is 3,800 metres down on the bed of the Atlantic Ocean, roughly 600km (370 miles) off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada.

The passenger liner hit an iceberg on its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York in 1912, with more than 1,500 of the 2,200 passengers and crew onboard dying.

The wreckage was discovered in 1985.

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How to Book a Dive to See the “Titanic” Shipwreck

Citizen scientists will soon have the opportunity to participate in research missions to the historic site..

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The five-person submersible, Titan , will be heading out on a series of 10-day Titanic expeditions starting in May.

Courtesy of OceanGate Expeditions

Editors note: OceanGate’s Titan suffered a “ catastrophic implosion ,” killing all five people on board, according to the U.S. Coast Guard on June 22, 2023.

It won’t be cheap and it won’t be easy, but if having the chance to personally witness the Titanic shipwreck is a once-in-a-lifetime dream experience you would like to fulfill—there is now a way to do so. Undersea exploration company OceanGate Expeditions is hosting Titanic survey expeditions starting in May 2021 and is looking for citizen scientists to join the crew.

OceanGate will be sending its five-person submersible, Titan , on a series of 10-day Titanic expeditions (there will be six missions in total next year) that will each include a small group of experts and researchers, along with citizen scientists. Individuals interested in joining these deep-sea research missions will need to apply and be interviewed before being approved to participate in the dives.

Potential eligible participants must be at least 18 years old at the time of the expedition, must be able to board Zodiacs in rough water, and must demonstrate basic balance, mobility, flexibility, and strength.

“We refer to those supporting the mission as mission specialists. They are active, trained participants in the expedition. They are not tourists or travelers. This is an important distinction. This is a true expedition environment and every crew member, including the mission specialists, are crucial to the successful completion of our mission objectives,” OceanGate said in a statement sent to AFAR about the expeditions.

Indeed, the training is rather involved. Mission specialists must complete a training dive mission prior to joining one of the Titanic survey expeditions. With the training mission under their belt, they will then be expected to participate in various support roles on the Titanic dive, including operating sonar and laser scanners, assisting with navigation and sub-to-surface communications, documenting their observations, and taking photos and video footage of sea life, the shipwreck, and artifacts using onboard cameras.

They will also be asked to participate in processing and reviewing images and footage from the dive and to contribute to a detailed review and analysis of the data.

Mission specialists will be asked to participate in support roles during the mission.

Each of the six missions has up to nine slots for qualified citizen scientists (there are multiple dives per mission)—who must also be willing to invest $125,000 to have this truly unique experience.

Each dive will begin with a briefing, followed by a 90-minute descent to the Titanic site. During the descent, teams look for bioluminescent lifeforms. Once at the site of the shipwreck, they will spend about three hours exploring. With the help of the submersible’s bright exterior lights, the team will observe areas that include the bow section of the ship (the most impressive part of the wreck, according to OceanGate), the area where the ship’s grand staircase was located, the bridge remains, and the debris field where century-old artifacts have been scattered across the ocean floor. The teams will then embark on the 90-minute ascent back to the surface.

The Titanic shipwreck was discovered on September 1, 1985, by oceanographer Robert Ballard. It is located 12,467 feet below the Atlantic Ocean’s surface about 370 miles southeast off the coast of the Canadian province of Newfoundland. Nearly 1,500 people perished when the luxury passenger liner Titanic sank in April 1912, while sailing from Southampton, England, to New York City.

“Expeditions will be conducted with great respect for those who lost their lives in the tragic sinking of the Titanic ,” OceanGate told AFAR. The company said it plans to observe the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s guidelines for exploration of the Titanic , as well as UNESCO’s guiding principles for the preservation of underwater World Heritage sites.

“Our main mission objectives include observing and documenting at a safe distance, and not touching or landing on the Titanic . We will be documenting the site for future generations and going back annually to document and determine the rate of deterioration of this historic site,” OceanGate explained. The six anticipated missions for 2021 are currently scheduled to take place on May 30, June 8, June 16, June 24, July 2, and July 10. The inaugural mission will mark the first time in 15 years that passengers have been able to visit the wreck, Bloomberg reports .

As for precautions that will be in place due to the coronavirus pandemic, OceanGate is mandating that crew get tested for COVID-19 and wear masks; it also is having crew members quarantine in advance of the expeditions. The company has added air filtration systems on its submersible.

>> Next: Scuba Diving Slave Shipwrecks Is a Spiritual Journey

Here's What We Know About OceanGate's Sub That Tours Titanic—Using 1 Button

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A submersible carrying five passengers to see the wreck of the Titanic was reported missing Monday morning—a vessel that’s been described as “experimental,” is operated by a single button and made its first successful dive to the shipwreck in 2021.

OceanGate's 22-foot Titan submersible sits on a titanium platform underwater.

The subversive was designed and is run by OceanGate Expeditions, an ocean exploration company founded in 2009 with a fleet of submersibles intended to help tourists experience deep-sea diving.

The vessel, called the Titan , can dive more than 13,000 feet and carries five people to the Titanic wreck off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada, and has been on successful trips in 2021 and 2022, according to the company’s website.

In 2022, CBS reporter David Pogue ventured on the Titan to see the Titanic—he had to sign a waiver before diving that said the submersible was “experimental” and “had not been approved by any regulatory body.”

Inside, the 22-foot-long submersible is about the size of a minivan, Pogue reported, and has a single porthole at one end through which passengers can view the wreckage.

The Titan is operated from the inside by a single round button that turns from red to green when pushed: “It should be like an elevator,” CEO Stockton Rush told Pogue in 2022, adding: “It shouldn’t take a lot of skill.”

Later in the video, Rush points to some piping inside the vessel saying he purchased it from RV supplier Camping World, and says “we run the whole thing” using a video game controller—Pogue also shows the vessel uses construction pipes as ballast.

Rush clarifies the pressure vessel, which maintains pressure and air quality to sustain human life miles under the sea, is “not macgyvered at all” and is developed with the help of Boeing and NASA.

Forbes reached out to OceanGate for comment.

Key Background

OceanGate has been attempting missions since at least 2017 , and successfully reached the Titanic wreck for the first time in 2021, and then again in 2022. It has 18 expeditions planned starting this summer of 2023, according to its website. Missions take approximately 10 days, eight of which are at sea, and cost passengers $250,000 each. The five-person expeditions usually include three paying passengers, along with two crew members to lead the group. The only known passenger among the five currently missing is Hamish Harding, a British businessman and aviator whose family confirmed he was on the expedition Monday. In social media posts Sunday, Harding said the group had reached the spot above the Titanic and planned to dive at 4 a.m. Monday morning. This week’s expedition was “likely to be the first and only manned mission to the Titanic in 2023” because Newfoundland experienced a historically bad winter, Harding said on Instagram. A search and rescue crew was dispatched Monday morning after the group was reported missing.

Further Reading

5 Reportedly Missing After Titanic Wreck Tourism Vessel Disappears In Atlantic (Forbes)

A visit to RMS Titanic (YouTube)

After A Dozen Years, Firm Offers Tourists A Chance To Dive To Titanic Wreck — For $105,000 A Person (Forbes)

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'Titanic' tourism: US travel company to offer $125,000 dive trips to the 'unsinkable' ship's wreck

The expeditions will take teams down 3,800 metres to the wreck in five-person submersibles.

US company OceanGate Expeditions is to take groups of divers down 3,800 metres to the 'RMS Titanic' wreck in five-person submersibles from May 2021. WikiCommons, PA Images 

A US travel company is set to offer $125,000 dive trips to the RMS Titanic for "citizen scientists".

As of May 2021, OceanGate Expeditions is organising six 10-day expeditions for teams of explorers, who will visit the wreck of the cruise ship, which now sits 3,800 metres below the surface.

The "unsinkable" RMS Titanic tragically sank on April 15, 1912, causing the loss of more than 1,500 lives. In the years since, only a few hundred scientists and researchers have visited the wreck.

"Beginning summer of 2021, a team of explorers will dive 3,800 metres below the surface of the North Atlantic to the wreck site of the RMS Titanic . This historic expedition will open the opportunity for citizen scientists to participate as active members of the team," the OceanGate Expeditions website reads. It is expected that the project will continue in the summer of 2022, with the aim of fully exploring the wreckage.

"Considered Mission Specialists, these individuals will help to achieve scientific goals and document the current condition of the historic wreck. Receiving hands-on training and continued instruction, this unique opportunity will connect explorers and amateur scientists to real scientific adventure."

However, there has been criticism of the plans to take groups of divers down to the resting place of more than 1,500 people.

“All the bones are gone. There are no bodies down there. There are boots and shoes and clothes that show where people were 100 years ago, and that is very somber,” Stockton Rush, president of OceanGate Expeditions told Bloomberg.

The company aims to take divers "to depths far deeper than can be reached with scuba [diving]," but it will cost them. The 10-day expeditions are priced at $125,000.

A total of nine so-called "mission specialists" will be allowed on the each expedition, three per dive, who will each pay $125,000 for the 10-day sail from St John's, Newfoundland, Bloomberg reports. The dive will take six to eight hours to reach the Titanic site, explore, and return to the surface ship.

Explaining the fee, Rush said: "If this was just another money-losing wealthy person’s activity, I don’t see how it scales ... We don’t take passengers, we don’t do trips, we don’t do rides. We’re doing an expedition."

The dives will take place in the "most advanced deep-diving five-person submersibles on earth," which travel at speeds of three knots and ascend and descend at a rate of 50 metres per minute, with life support capabilities of up to 96 hours. The journey to the wreck from the surface will take 90 minutes.

The role of the citizen scientists will be to "help with navigation, maintenance, and cataloguing once-in-a-lifetime historical finds" when aboard the surface supply ship. The company says the submersible "will descend to the ocean floor and soar over the wreck, skimming the ship’s deck as cameras and lasers create a detailed 3D model."

"The Titanic 's wreckage has never been fully explored," the company's statement reads. "Throughout the annual survey, dive teams will collect images, video, laser scans, and sonar data to provide an objective baseline of the current condition of the wreck. This baseline will be used to assess the rate of decay over time and help to document and preserve the historic maritime site."

This is just one of a number of ambitious expeditions the company has planned, including to the South Pacific's Coral Sea where unexplored Second World War aircraft and warships rest, as well as to Croatia's underwater museum and a Second World War submarine off the coast of New York.

• HISTORY & CULTURE

Inside the Titanic wreck's lucrative tourism industry

For decades, tourists have been paying for a chance to catch an undersea glimpse at the wreck of the Titanic . But ethical concerns persist over the impacts these submersibles have had on the deteriorating site.

It takes eight hours and $250,000 to get to what remains of the R.M.S. Titanic some 380 miles off the coast of St. John’s, Newfoundland.

On Sunday, five people got into the submersible Titan to make that journey. The vessel lost contact only an hour and 45 minutes into the eight-day expedition. After debris was found matching that of the submersible, the five inside are now presumed dead.

Despite the danger of traveling some 12,500 feet below the surface, this was an irresistible opportunity—very few people get to see the Titanic with their own eyes.  

More than a century after the ship’s sinking, interest in the Titanic remains insatiable. Although most satisfy their curiosity by visiting the museums, exhibitions, and permanent collections around the world dedicated to the wreck, anyone able to pay for a ticket can see it for themselves.

Despite ethical concerns and the danger of further damaging the wreck, dives to the Titanic have been around for more than 20 years. Here’s what you need to know.  

The rush to claim the Titanic wreckage

It wasn’t until 1985 that an expedition led by National Geographic Explorer-at-Large Robert Ballard and French oceanographer Jean-Louis Michel discovered the Titanic ’s final resting place.

Shortly after, Ballard testified before the U.S. Congress, urging it to designate the wreck a maritime memorial. In July 1986, Ballard placed a plaque on the ship, asking that the site be left undisturbed in memory of the more than 1,500 people who died there.  

( Bob Ballard and James Cameron on what we can learn from Titan .)

But that didn’t happen. Instead, competition over who would be allowed to salvage artifacts from the ship heated up. In part, it was an effort to document and conserve the artifacts—but it was also a rush for profits from artifact sales and public displays.

The first official salvage effort was undertaken by the Titanic Ventures Limited Partnership (TVLP) and L'Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer in 1987, when around 1,800 items were collected and conserved. In 1992, a federal court ruled TVLP was the first and exclusive salvor of the Titanic —though in following decades, the company pushed for more.  

Now known as RMS Titanic Inc., the company has conducted eight expeditions to the Titanic , and has auctioned off more than 5,000 objects taken from the site, including jewelry and a piece of the ship’s grand staircase.

While battles for visitation and salvage rights raged in court, expeditions to the Titanic continued—giving rise to a small but pricey tourism market.

Decades of Titanic tourism

Researchers, salvagers, and even filmmakers like James Cameron, who directed the 1997 blockbuster film Titanic , have made countless trips to the wreck. And for a pretty penny, tourists have been able to go too.

In 1998, British company Deep Ocean Expeditions were among the first to sell tickets to the public at $32,500 each to see the remains of the Titanic . In 2012, expedition leader Rob McCallum said the company was organizing one final round of tours after having gone down to the wreck 197 times . Those last expeditions in 2012 each lasted 12 days and took 20 passengers for $59,000 apiece.

( How do we find shipwrecks—and who owns them ?)

Starting in 2002, Los Angeles-based travel firm Bluefish also ran Titanic dives, taking only eight people over the next four years. In 2012, the company began accepting bookings again with tickets running for $59,680.

London-based Blue Marble sold tickets for $ 105,129 per person in 2019, supposedly the adjusted value of a first-class ticket at the time of the sinking. Blue Marble partnered with OceanGate Expeditions—the same company whose vessel went missing Sunday—to run the tours.  

OceanGate conducted successful expeditions in 2021 and 2022 and has 18 dives planned through 2023.  

Protecting the Titanic

But what impact do these tours have on the 111-year-old ship?

The Titanic was damaged significantly upon impact with the seabed, and slowly, iron-eating bacteria is consuming what remains. Less than a decade after the wreck was found, rapid deterioration was being noticed . In 2019, a dive confirmed huge portions of the ship were collapsing .

Today the surrounding site is littered with trash , including beer and soda bottles, weights, chains, and cargo nets from salvage efforts . Visitors have also littered the area with plaques and memorials. In 2001, a couple was even married in a submersible resting on the Titanic ’s bow.

( How debris from the Titanic informs us about its final hours .)

Even if submersibles don’t mean to touch the wreck, they can still further damage the ship. One expedition reportedly crashed into the Titanic and omitted information about the damage it caused.

Attempts to protect the wreck are ongoing. Because it is in international waters, it is eligible for basic protections under the UNESCO Convention on the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage, which were granted in 2012 . In 2020, the United Kingdom and United States agreed to work together to grant or deny licenses to people entering and taking artifacts from the site.

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What It Costs

Cost Benefit Analysis of Everything in Life

Dive to Explore the Titanic Shipwreck – Expedition Prices & Cost

Ballpark Estimate: $40,000

Most people know the tragic story of the RMS Titanic. This extravagant cruise liner, which spanned almost one-sixth of a mile long, was the largest ship ever built and also the most opulent. But despite its magnificent presence, it crashed into an iceberg on April 14, 1912 during its first transatlantic journey, and sunk shortly afterwards. While some of its passengers safely escaped in time on the limited number of lifeboats available, more than 1,500 of them went down with the ship.

Almost a century later, the Titanic lies deep at the bottom of the sea off the coast of Newfoundland, and the story of its ill-fateful journey continues to capture the interest of people from all over the world. In fact, a few people are even willing to invest a large sum of money to go and visit the wreckage site personally.

The Expedition

If you are interested in seeing the wreck of the Titanic yourself, there is only one company in the world, Deep Ocean Adventures , that is officially approved to visit it. Deep Ocean Adventures uses deep diving submersibles to carry people all the way down underwater to where the Titanic currently sits. According to the company’s website, the expedition offers a unique adventure and learning experience to the participants without disturbing the site itself in any way. The journey is led by a staff of expert Russian scientists from the P.P. Shirshov Institute and the Russian Academy of Sciences . They are trained in operating submersibles and also in conducting scientific research and education on numerous levels, so the journey is a truly unique experience. But it is also out of the reach of the average person, as it requires a substantial financial commitment. (In fact, it is such an exclusive opportunity that more people to this day have actually traveled into outer space then ventured to the depths where the wreckage lays.)

The Titanic’s Ill-Fated History

The Titanic, which was owned by the White Star Company Line and built by an Irish shipyard called Harland & Wolff, was said to be the largest moving vehicle ever built. More than 14,000 laborers helped to construct the ship, which took a full four years to complete. The boat had a total of 20 lifeboats on board, which was more than the law required back then, but this wasn’t nearly enough to save all of the passengers and crew members.

When the ship struck an iceberg early on in her voyage, many of the passengers and crew flocked toward the life boats, but poor planning, combined with the panic that ensued, led some of the life boats to leave only partway full. In addition, many of the ship’s third class passengers were trapped onboard. And it wasn’t long into the crisis before the Titanic suddenly split apart and began to plunge underwater, taking the people left on its decks down with it.

Journey Down Under

Today, people who want to journey to see the historic ship’s final resting site begin the expedition in St. John’s, Newfoundland, since the wreckage lies in international waters about 370 or 380 miles southeast of the coast there. Passengers embark on a scientific exploration ship called the Akademik Keldysh , which carries two of the world’s five submersibles in the world that are able to reach the depth where the Titanic sits. These two submersibles on the ship are called the MIR I and MIR II (MIR means “Peace” in Russian), and it’s interesting to note that these were also used to film parts of the IMAX movie of the Titanic and to salvage some of the ship’s artifacts that now are housed in museums around the world.

A total of 16 passengers are usually taken on each planned expedition, along with the trained professionals. The group is divided up into smaller groups of three (two paying customers with one professional pilot/guide), who are taken into one of the submersibles (MIR I or MIR II) to visit the wreckage site while the rest of the participants stay behind, until everyone gets one turn.

While the timing of these expeditions can vary, they generally last up to about two weeks.

What to Expect

If you are one of the lucky few who get to participate in this expedition, you need to know what to expect. The submersibles go down about 12,500 feet or 2.5 miles and the journey there and back up can take a total of about 8 hours or more. The exact timing of it varies depending on the weather and water conditions.

When it is time for each small group to venture down under, the submersible will be lowered by crane into the ocean and released to begin descending at a rate of about 100 feet per minute. As you get lower, the color of the water will begin to darken, changing from green to blue to black. (Although it is worth noting that some dives take place at night, so in that case the water will appear black from the start but the time of day or night won’t affect the quality of the dive.)

Usually both submersibles are lowered one after another so they complete the journey is close proximity to one another. This enables them to photograph each other.

It takes each one approximately 2.5 hours to reach the Titanic site, where the ship lies in two gigantic pieces. Once there, the submersibles generally stay for about three or four hours, exploring the wreckage from different angles. The exploration includes viewing the bow area, which is about 400 feet long and is the most intact and also the most impressive section of the Titanic that is left. The stern section is about 330 feet. (There is also about 150 feet of ship that is missing and the pieces of this litter the ocean floor surrounding the stern section.) Passengers will be able to see the bridge and promenade and the area where the ship’s grand staircase had been located. Passengers will also be able to see the artifacts that remain on the ship, but it is important to note that you will not be able to try to salvage anything. This expedition is for research and adventure purposes only.

How to Prepare for the Journey

When you enter the submersible vessel, you will be in a small room that has three viewing ports, offering forward and partial peripheral views so passengers can see the ship up close.

As the descent begins, the temperature inside the room changes dramatically, going from rather warm and human to cool and moist. As a result, participants are asked to wear layers of comfortable, loose clothing that can easily be removed to adjust as the temperature changes. The company suggests people bring the following item:

• Two pairs of warm socks
• Water-resistant slippers or booties
• Thermal underwear
• Warm fleece or sweat pants
• A warm sweater or fleece jacket
• A camera or video camera
• Notebook, pen and small tape record (to record the experience)
• Seasickness tablets or patches (which some passengers will need as the submersible is lowered into the ocean until it begins to descend more smoothly)

For safety’s sake, everyone on the submersible is also given a special pair of fire-resistant overalls they must wear. In addition, there are also some things that are NOT allowed in the vessel. This includes lipsticks, lip balm, Vaseline and anything else that is made of petroleum. In addition, there must be no matches or lighters or anything else combustible.

On the day of the submersible dive, each participant who will be going is given a light lunch and drink to take with them. But the company cautions that no formal bathroom facilities exist on the submersible, so people are asked to limit their food and drink consumption on the dive and also for up to about 12 to 18 hours before they leave.

The price to take this unusual journey to view the Titanic’s resting site is $40,000 per person.

This includes your accommodations and meals on the Akademik Keldysh, one night in St. John’s and all of your orientations and program activities, such as lectures and slide shows. In addition, each person gets a video of their dive to take home, which includes some pre-shot footage of the wreckage along with some new video of your personal journey down.

Other costs that are not included in this price include your transportation to St. John’s, as well as your airport fees and taxes, transportation and personal expenses, including laundry, bar bill, phone calls and gratuities.

If you would like to bring another person with you to share your cabin on the ship but who will not participate in the dive itself, this is an additional $5,000.

If money is no object and you decide you want to experience the romance and tragedy of the Titanic first-hand, keep in mind that you need to plan ahead quite a bit. Tours to the Titanic are planned infrequently. In addition, since weather conditions are unpredictable, there is no knowing exactly how long the expedition will last. Therefore, you will need to keep your scheduled return home flexible.

A Final Note

Using IFREMER’s state-of-the-art technology, including the manned submersible Nautile, the expedition team recovered some 1,800 objects. Iconic artifacts included instruments from the stern Docking Bridge, a decorative cherub and several pursers’ or leather traveling bags.

In April 1993, RMS Titanic, Inc. and IFREMER conducted a second joint expedition to Titanic ‘s wreck site with the French research and recovery ship Nadir. The French American team recovered approximately 800 artifacts, including a set of the Ship’s whistles, a double lifeboat davit and base, and a two-ton engine eccentric strap. Almost miraculously, along with these heavy metal objects, a delicate jet bead and a child’s marbles were also brought to the surface.

In the summer of 1994, RMS Titanic, Inc., with IFREMER, returned to Titanic ‘s wreck site. Artifacts including personal effects such as a boot, binoculars, and a 2-ton set of bollards, which once secured Titanic ‘s mooring lines, were recovered. In addition, a 17-ton section of the Ship’s hull, found lying on the seabed, was painstakingly measured by Nautile for retrieval at a later expedition. The artifacts recovered subsequently went on exhibition at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, England where they were seen by over 720,000 people.

This was RMS Titanic, Inc.’s fourth mission and one that conducted groundbreaking scientific investigations into the wreck. Using the most sophisticated research tools available and advanced techniques of reverse engineering, forensic science, and crash investigation, an international team of naval architects, microbial biologists, metallurgists, and historians from five countries examined the Ship and attempted to solve the mysteries surrounding the disaster. To determine how fast Titanic is corroding on the seabed, Canadian microbiologist Dr. Roy Cullimore conducted investigations into the “rusticles,” elaborate colonies of iron-consuming microorganisms that cover nearly every surface of the hull. Cullimore concluded that the iron-eating microbes have already consumed as much as 20% of the bow. The major purpose of the 1996 expedition, however, was to record and document the wreck in detail. This was an ambitious agenda and would last 30 days. IFREMER’s Nadir and Nautile were once more employed as well as Ocean Voyager, an oceanographic research ship, which carried four purpose-built Edison light towers, and served as a filming base for the documentary film shot by the Discovery Channel and the Ellipse program of France during the expedition.

This expedition was the fifth one for RMS Titanic, Inc. and IFREMER continued many of the scientific investigations it started on Expedition 1996. In addition, new debris fields were discovered, including an area west of the stern section containing a significant amount of passenger baggage. The team recovered remarkable artifacts with the assistance of the recovery vessel Abeille Supporter, including the D-Deck Door, and, most significantly, a 17-ton section of the hull, which came to be known as The “Big Piece”. This is the largest and most significant section of the Ship ever recovered. Examinations of the hull made it clear that Titanic is deteriorating more rapidly than previously thought. As a result, the ongoing scientific investigations into the physical events surrounding the sinking became more urgent. Expedition 1998 also established, for the first time in history, a live fiber-optic television link from the bottom of the ocean, permitting viewers to watch in real time the exploration of the wreck by a manned submersible, and thus earning the record for the deepest underwater live broadcast.

This was RMS Titanic, Inc.’s sixth expedition to the wreck site. For this endeavor, the Company utilized the services of the Russian P.P. Shirshov Institute, its research vessel Keldysh, and its submersibles MIR I and MIR II. Knowledge of the Ship was increased by the exciting recovery of the main wheel and steering stand, the navigating bridge wheel steering stand, two engine telegraphs, an automatic whistle timer, and the capstan controller wheel and stand from the docking bridge. The most astonishing recovery of the Expedition may well have been sixty-five perfume vials belonging to first-class passenger Adolphe Saafeld of Manchester, England. When this miraculous find was brought into the conservation laboratory, the aroma of Edwardian perfume filled the air stopping everyone in their tracks.

RMS Titanic, Inc. conducted its seventh research and recovery mission to Titanic ‘s wreck site. The mission utilized a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) rather than the manned submersibles used on previous expeditions. The ROV, provided by Phoenix International, Inc., was equipped with cameras, lighting systems, and two manipulator arms that allowed the team to engage in round-the-clock underwater operations and to watch those operations in real-time from the surface. A variety of artifacts were recovered during the expedition; each rescue was documented as to time and location by video, still photographs, and written notations. Perhaps the most exciting artifacts rescued were two never-before-seen: a gilded wall sconce from the À la Carte Restaurant and the frame of a tile from the Turkish Bath. The tile still retains, and finally documents, the vibrant blue color used in the decor of the Bath.

Conducted in the summer of 2010, the team returned to the wreck site in what is considered the most technologically advanced scientific expedition to Titanic ever organized. RMS Titanic, Inc. brought together a team of leading archaeologists, oceanographers, and scientists to take innovative measures to virtually raise Titanic , preserving the legacy of the Ship for all time.  It is the Company’s purpose to preserve the memory of Titanic and of all who sailed on the ship and to promote that memory with respect and regard for the Ship’s historical and maritime significance.

Expeditions to recover Titanic artifacts have been a collaborative effort between RMS Titanic, Inc.; The French Oceanographic Institute; and the Moscow-based P.P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology. These expeditions have been conducted at the Titanic’s wreck site, located 963 miles northeast of New York and 453 miles southeast of the Newfoundland coastline, during the summers of 1987, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2004 and 2010.

Nautile and MIR submersibles are used for the recovery in Expeditions 1987, 1993, 1994, 1996 and 1998; these machines are equipped with mechanical arms capable of scooping, grasping, and recovering the artifacts, which are then either collected in sampling baskets, or placed in lifting baskets. The crew compartment of each submersible accommodates three people – a pilot, a co-pilot, and an observer – who each have a one-foot-thick plastic porthole between themselves and the depths. Both submersibles have the capabilities of operating and deploying a Remote-Controlled Vehicle on a 110-foot tether which is then flown inside the wreck to record images.

In the 2004 Expedition, the Remora 6000 Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV) was used for the recovery of objects. This ROV was controlled from the surface via ROV pilots.

Each recovered artifact undergoes conservation following carefully designed processes to remove rust and salt deposits

Once an artifact leaves the water and is exposed to the air, it must undergo an immediate stabilization process to prevent further deterioration.

Artifacts are cleaned with a soft brush and placed in foam-lined tubs of fresh water.

Artifacts are brought to our conservation laboratory where contaminating surface salts are removed from each of the artifacts.

Artifacts are conserved: After a period of six months to two years, artifacts can be conserved using treatments that are compatible with each artifact’s construction materials.

Conservation Process

Metal objects are placed in a desalination bath and undergo the first steps of electrolysis, a process that removes negative ions and salt from the artifact. Electrolysis is now being used to remove salts from paper, leather, and wood as well. These materials also receive treatments of chemical agents and fungicides that remove rust and fungus from them.

Paper artifacts are first freeze-dried to remove water and are then cleaned with specialized vacuums and hand tools to remove dirt and debris. Leather artifacts are soaked or injected with a water-soluble wax which replaces voids previously filled by water and debris.

Artifacts are displayed in specially designed cases where temperature, relative humidity and light levels can be controlled, protecting the artifacts from these three agents of deterioration. The artifacts displayed have been conserved and are continuously monitored and maintained so that they can be shown in the Exhibition as well as preserved for the future.

Titanic Facts

Jenny the cat.

RMS Titanic had its own official cat, called Jenny, who was considered a mascot for the boat and helped to keep the population of mice and rats down onboard. Jenny started her career as a working cat onboard the Titanic ’s sister ship, Olympic . She was “transferred” onto the ill-fated ocean liner just a week before it set sail on its maiden voyage.

On board there was:

• Fresh Meat: 75,000 lbs.
• Fresh Fish: 11,000 lbs.
• Bacon and Ham: 7,500 lbs.
• Fresh Eggs: 40,000
• Ice Cream: 1,750 qts.
• Coffee: 2,200 lbs.
• Tea: 800 lbs.
• Flour: 200 barrels.
• Oranges: 36,000
• Lemons: 16,000
• Fresh Milk: 1,500 gallons
• Butter: 6,000 lbs.
• Tomatoes: 2¾ tons
• Potatoes: 40 tons
• Beer and Stout: 20,000 bottles
• Wines: 1,500 bottles
• Spirits: 850 bottles
• Champagne: 63 cases

Time it takes

It takes over 2 and a half hours to reach the Titanic Wreck. Each dive lasts about 12 to 15 hours with an additional 2 hours to ascend to the surface.

Titanic tour company offered up-close experience for $250,000

Modern in-person tourism at the Titanic is still in its infancy. 

The submersible that disappeared Sunday near the Titanic wreckage was on only its third trip since the company OceanGate Expeditions began offering them in 2021. 

OceanGate had been promoting the third dive for months on its website and in Facebook posts, offering the chance to “follow in Jacques Cousteau’s footsteps and become an underwater explorer” — for the price of $250,000. 

“ Become one of the few to see the Titanic with your own eyes,” the tour company said on its website. The ticket comes with a title: “mission specialist.” 

Participants have included a chef, an actor, a videographer and someone who worked in banking, the company said on Facebook. 

One of the customers said on Instagram last year that it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that lived up to her expectations. 

“My lifelong dream of seeing the Titanic has come true!” Chelsea Kellogg, a chef, wrote. “I am still trying to process the whole experience. I’m still crying. Still overwhelmed by all the emotions.” 

Kellogg, who did not respond to an interview request Monday, said she saw the ship’s bow, crow’s-nest and grand staircase. 

OceanGate seems to be the only company offering dive tours to the Titanic wreckage, underscoring the practical difficulty of reaching the site 12,500 feet down in the cold North Atlantic where the ship sank in 1912. About 1,500 people died. 

The resting place of the Titanic was unknown for decades, eluding several groups of researchers racing to find it, until a team led by the explorer Robert Ballard succeeded in 1985. Visits — some of them by artifact hunters — continued off and on for two decades.

Don Lynch, the Titanic Historical Society’s historian, said there was some tourism in the 1990s and early this century, when there were both artifacts to find and Russian-made submersibles capable of reaching the site’s depth. A Los Angeles artist went down in 2000 and produced watercolors from the experience .

Lynch, who went down in 2001, said that eventually, the visits trickled off as Russian-made submersibles were retired and fewer artifacts remained.

“There was a lot of salvage going on prior to that, and I think it reached the point where they weren’t bringing up anything that was increasing the museum visits,” he said. 

Until now, no submersible at the Titanic site had ever gone missing, he said.

Beginning in 2005, there was a 14-year dry spell with no human visits. Then, in 2019, another group visited the wreckage site and reported its rapid deterioration. The pace of visits has picked up since. 

RMS Titanic Inc., the company that owns the ship’s salvage rights, once tried to stop tourist visits, hoping to use pictures and tourism operations of its own to raise money for salvage operations, but in 1999 a federal appeals court ruled that tourists could visit , The Washington Post reported. 

Lynch said he thinks the site should have been treated as an archaeological site with careful documentation of all artifacts. He said he has no objection, though, to tourist visits, especially if they help to pay for research.

“Go down. Take a look. That’s great. It doesn’t damage the ship,” he said. 

Past participants praise the experience in a video OceanGate posted on YouTube in October. The video does not give their names. 

“This is a remarkable event in my life,” one person in the video says. 

“Not many people have done it, and that’s part of the appeal, too, right?” another says. 

Customers travel to the Titanic area from St. John’s, Newfoundland, aboard a ship — this year, the research vessel Polar Prince. 

On dive days, five people can fit into the submersible, named Titan, and the descent takes a couple of hours , OceanGate’s website says . 

“You may assist the pilot with coms and tracking, take notes for the science team about what you see outside of the viewport, watch a movie or eat lunch,” it says. 

There is a small toilet in Titan’s front dome, the website continues. It “doubles as the best seat in the house. When the toilet is in use, we install a privacy curtain between the dome and the main compartment and turn the music up loud.” 

OceanGate’s website promises “hours of exploring” before a two-hour ascent. 

There is required safety training for everyone on the research vessel, the website says. Beyond that, training depends on how much customers want to do, such as assisting with navigation. 

Stockton Rush, the founder of OceanGate, told the travel website Frommer’s in 2020 that about half of his customer pool were Titanic obsessives, while the other half were big-spending travelers also drawn to space tourism and other big-budget ideas. The original price back then was $125,000, or half this year’s price. 

“You couldn’t write a better story,” Rush told the website. “You have the rich and the poor. You have opulence. You have hubris. You have tragedy. You have death.”

The company initially planned to have six expeditions in 2021, Frommer’s reported, but it ended up running one that year and one last year. 

Before then, getting a close-up view of the Titanic’s wreckage meant visiting one of several museums where there are artifacts — including one at the Luxor hotel in Las Vegas — or perhaps visiting one of the replicas in Pigeon Forge , Tennessee, or Branson , Missouri. 

OceanGate’s website laid out various details of this year’s expedition, including a minimum age of 18. The price included training, gear and meals on the ship but not airfare, hotels before departure or insurance. 

Lynch, the historian, said the tours demonstrate the lasting curiosity about the Titanic.

“The movie really brought it to a younger audience and created a lot of new Titanic enthusiasts,” he said, referring to director James Cameron’s 1997 film. “Every couple decades, something happens that puts it back in the public eye.” 

David Ingram covers tech for NBC News.

Local News | Skokie Titanic exhibit extended through July

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Over one hundred thousand visitors from 47 states have toured “Titanic: The Exhibition” since it opened on Feb. 16 at Westfield Old Orchard in Skokie. Because of the overwhelming demand for tickets, the exhibit has been extended through July 7.

Entry times are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesdays-Thursdays and 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Fridays-Sundays. The exhibition is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.

The interactive experience begins when each visitor receives a boarding pass corresponding to the name of a passenger on the ship’s maiden and final voyage. Visitors tour recreations of the ship’s interior, including a two-story full-scale recreation of the ship’s Grand Staircase, the millionaires’ suite, a first class cabin, a third class cabin, the boiler room, and more.

There’s also an outdoor view of the Promenade Deck and a Discovery Gallery with details of the ship’s wreckage site. The final stop is a visit to a Tribute Wall, where visitors learn the fate of the passenger who is listed on their boarding pass.

Mark Lach is creative producer of the exhibition for the company that created it, Atlanta-based Imagine Exhibitions, Inc.

“I set the Titanic Exhibition when it first came to Chicago back in 2000 at the Museum of Science and Industry,” Lach said. Over one million people toured that incarnation and it was sold out every day, he reported. It was presented by a different exhibition company then.

“It was one of the most enjoyable experiences of my life,” Lach said. “It was during that stay that I went out to the wreck site and got into one of those submersibles and went to the ocean floor. That started me on a journey of taking the Titanic exhibit to many places.”

The current exhibition came to Chicago intact from Los Angeles. Lach’s role this time is serving as a spokesperson for the exhibition, which was originally created to honor the 25th anniversary of James Cameron’s 1997 film, “Titanic.” Props and recreations of costumes from that film are included in the exhibit.

Transferring the exhibit from L.A. to Chicago was a complex process. They had to first locate a space. “We’re in what was the Bloomingdale’s department store,” Lach reported.

Once the spot was chosen, Lach and the others involved in the project had to evaluate how much space they had and how much ceiling height. “Then we started to lay the exhibition out,” he said.

They also had to figure where to place the 385 artifacts on loan from Canadian collector René Bergeron to best tell the story of the ship’s brief history. It includes such things as a postcard sent by a 19-year-old crew member, a piece of the Grand Staircase, a gold swimming medal, and a teacup from first class.

The process of putting together the exhibit took about six months.

Lach noted that following the story of the individual on their boarding pass can be a moving experience for visitors.

“They start to read this passenger’s name, and the class they traveled in, where they were heading, where they were coming from,” Lach said. “But one thing you don’t know is their fate.”

People learn the fate of their passenger out of the 2,200 people who were onboard when they view the Tribute Wall at the end of the exhibit.

“People don’t leave until they find their name,” Lach said. It’s a story of “life being fragile” which seems to resonate with many visitors, Lach said.

Lach indicated that they first used the boarding pass at the Museum of Science and Industry exhibit 24 years ago “and saw how that was the connecting force. Originally, it was just the passenger’s name and the class they traveled in. Adding a little context — who they were, what they were doing — has really become a powerful piece of the experience.”

Many of those details were located on the website Encyclopedia Titanica.

Although it’s not part of the exhibit, Lach’s trip to the bottom of the sea has impacted his connection to the exhibit and helped him answer visitors’ questions.

As the small sub descended, Lach reported, “The bright blue faded to black. For the next two hours, we were in darkness. It gets progressively colder inside the sub.”

When the sub finally touched down, lights on the exterior of the sub turned on. “There was the bow of the titanic,” Lach said. “Incredible.”

Lach concluded that the importance of the exhibit is that people who go through “connect with the story and reflect a little bit about how uncertain life can be. And you walk out with a better appreciation of your loved ones, your friends, and life in general.”

Combination tickets with “Downton Abbey: The Exhibition” across the lobby are available for $46.50-$49.50.

Myrna Petlicki is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.

‘Titanic: The Exhibition’

When: Through July 7

Where: Westfield Old Orchard, 4963 Old Orchard Road, Skokie

Tickets: $29.50-$59; $25.50 seniors and students; $22 ages 4-12

Information: thetitanicexhibition.com

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Missing Submersible Vessel Disappears During Dive to the Titanic Wreck Site

Five people were in the submersible, which lost contact with a surface vessel on Sunday morning, the Coast Guard said. A search and rescue mission is underway in the North Atlantic.

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Jenny Gross ,  Emma Bubola and Jesus Jiménez

The search area is 900 miles off the U.S. coast.

A submersible craft carrying five people in the area of the Titanic wreck in the North Atlantic has been missing since Sunday, setting off a search and rescue operation by the U.S. Coast Guard.

The Coast Guard confirmed Monday that it was searching for the vessel after the Canadian research ship MV Polar Prince lost contact with a submersible during a dive about 900 miles east of Cape Cod, Mass., on Sunday morning.

“It is a remote area and it is a challenge to conduct a search in that remote area, but we are deploying all available assets to make sure that we can locate the craft and rescue the people on board,” said Rear Admiral John Mauger of the U.S. Coast Guard.

The submersible disappeared in a portion of the ocean with a depth of roughly 13,000 feet. Admiral Mauger said the occupants would theoretically have between 70 to 96 hours of air as of late Monday afternoon.

The submersible is operated by OceanGate Expeditions, a company that offers tours of shipwrecks and underwater canyons. “Our entire focus is on the crew members in the submersible and their families,” a statement on its website said. “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.”

Hamish Harding, the chairman of the aviation company Action Aviation, is among those aboard the missing submersible, according to Mark Butler, the company’s managing director.

In an Instagram post, Mr. Harding indicated that another member of the submersible team was Paul Henry Nargeolet, a French expert on the Titanic. On his Facebook page on Saturday, Mr. Harding wrote that a dive had been planned for Sunday: “A weather window has just opened up,” he wrote.

Here’s what to know about the search operation:

Stockton Rush, the chief executive of OceanGate, has compared its project to the booming space tourism industry. Its customers pay $250,000 to travel to the Titanic’s wreckage on the seabed, more than two miles below the ocean’s surface.

Admiral Mauger said aircraft from the United States and Canada were searching for the submersible, and sonar buoys had been deployed to help search under the surface. The Coast Guard was also coordinating with commercial vessels in the area to aid the search operation.

OceanGate chartered a vessel, the MV Polar Prince, to serve as the ship on the surface near the dive site. The company’s website outlines an eight-day itinerary for the trip out of St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada.

The Titanic sank in the early hours of April 15, 1912, on its maiden voyage from England to New York after hitting an iceberg, killing more than 1,500 people. The wreckage was found in 1985, broken into two main sections, about 400 miles off Newfoundland, in eastern Canada. Read The Times’s coverage of the sinking.

John Ismay, a Pentagon reporter, served as a deep-sea diving and salvage officer in the U.S. Navy.

Why are undersea rescues so difficult?

Numerous complications could hinder the effort to rescue the five people aboard the deep-diving submersible Titan, which failed to return from a dive on Sunday to the wreck of the Titanic on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean.

For any search and rescue operation at sea, weather conditions, the lack of light at night, the state of the sea and water temperature can all play roles in whether stricken mariners can be found and rescued. For a rescue beneath the waves, the factors involved in a successful rescue are even more numerous and difficult.

The first and most important problem to solve is simply finding the Titan.

Many underwater vehicles are fitted with an acoustic device, often called a pinger, which emits sounds that can be detected underwater by rescuers. Whether Titan has one is unclear.

The submersible reportedly lost contact with its support ship an hour and 45 minutes into what is normally a two-and-a-half-hour dive to the bottom, where the Titanic lies.

There could be a problem with Titan’s communication equipment, or with the ballast system that controls its descent and ascent by flooding tanks with water to dive and pumping water out with air to come back toward the surface.

An additional possible hazard for the vessel would be becoming fouled — hung up on a piece of wreckage that could keep it from being able to return to the surface.

If the submersible is found on the bottom, the extreme depths involved limit the possible means for rescue.

Human divers wearing specialized equipment and breathing helium-rich air mixtures can safely reach depths of just a few hundred feet below the surface before having to spend long amounts of time decompressing on the way back up. A couple hundred feet deeper, light from the sun can no longer penetrate the water, and dark reigns.

The Titanic lies in about 14,000 feet of water in the North Atlantic, a depth that humans can reach only while inside specialized submersibles that keep their occupants warm, dry and supplied with breathable air.

The only likely rescue would come from an uncrewed vehicle — essentially an underwater drone. The U.S. Navy has one submarine rescue vehicle , although it can reportedly reach depths of just 2,000 feet. For recovering objects off the sea floor in deeper water, the Navy relies on what it calls remote-operated vehicles, such as the one it used to salvage a crashed F-35 Joint Strike Fighter in about 12,400 feet in the South China Sea in early 2022. That vehicle, called CURV-21 , can reach depths of 20,000 feet.

Getting the right kind of equipment — such as a remote vehicle like the CURV-21 — to the site takes time, starting with getting it to a ship capable of delivering it to the site.

The Titanic’s wreck lies approximately 370 miles south of Newfoundland, and the kinds of ships that can carry a vehicle like the Navy’s deepest-diving robot normally move no faster than about 20 miles per hour.

According to OceanGate’s website, the Titan can keep its five occupants alive for approximately 96 hours. In many submersibles, the air inside is recycled — carbon dioxide is removed and oxygen is added — but on a long enough timeline, the vessel will lose the ability to scrub enough carbon dioxide, and the air inside will no longer sustain life.

If the Titan’s batteries run down and are no longer able to run heaters that keep the occupants warm in the freezing deep, the people inside can become hypothermic and the situation eventually becomes unsurvivable. Should the submersible’s pressure hull fail, the end for those inside would be certain and quick.

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OceanGate Expeditions was created to explore deep waters.

OceanGate Expeditions, the owner of the missing submersible, is a privately owned company headquartered in Everett, Wash., that, since its founding in 2009, has focused on increasing access to deep-ocean exploration.

The company has made headlines in recent years for organizing expeditions for paying tourists to travel in submersibles to shipwrecks, including the Titanic, and to underwater canyons. According to the company’s website , OceanGate also provides crewed submersibles for commercial projects and scientific research.

“Our team of qualified pilots, expedition leaders, mission professionals and client-service staff ensure accountability throughout the entire mission and expedition process with a focus on safety, proactive communication and client satisfaction,” the website reads .

OceanGate was founded by Stockton Rush, an aerospace engineer and pilot, who currently serves as its chief executive officer.

At just 19 years old, in 1981, Mr. Rush became the youngest jet transport rated pilot in the world, and obtained a degree in aerospace engineering from Princeton University three years later, according to the OceanGate website. He later earned an M.B.A. from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley, in 1989.

OceanGate currently owns and operates three five-person submersibles.

The first submersible acquired by OceanGate, Antipodes, could travel to a depth of 1,000 feet.

In 2012, the company acquired another submersible, and rebuilt it into Cyclops 1, a vessel that could travel to a depth of up to 1,640 feet. It served as a prototype for the newest submersible, the Titan. That vessel, made of carbon fiber and titanium, is engineered to reach depths of more than 13,000 feet, or more than two miles. The Titan, which has been used to explore the Titanic’s wreckage, is now missing .

OceanGate has provided tours of the Titanic since 2021, in which guests have paid up to $250,000 to travel to the wreckage, which lies about 12,500 feet below the ocean’s surface.

Last year, Mr. Rush described the business to CBS News as “very unusual,” providing “a new type of travel.”

The company first planned a voyage to the Titanic in 2018, according to the technology news site GeekWire , but the Titan sustained damage to its electronics from lightning. Then, in 2019, the voyage was postponed again because of a problem with complying with Canadian maritime law limitations on foreign flag vessels, according to GeekWire .

Before the first successful trip to the Titanic in 2021, the Titan was “rebuilt,” according to GeekWire , after tests showed signs of “cyclic fatigue” that reduced the hull’s depth rating to 3,000 meters.

In 2020, OceanGate announced that it was working with NASA ’s Marshall Space Flight Center to assure that the submersible was strong enough to survive in the ocean’s depths.

According to the company’s website, OceanGate has successfully completed more than 14 expeditions and more than 200 dives in the Pacific, Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico.

OceanGate’s board members include Mr. Rush, along with a physician and astronaut, a software consultant, a retired U.S. Coast Guard, and a C.E.O. of an investment advisory firm.

In addition to OceanGate, Mr. Rush is also a co-founder and member of the board of trustees of OceanGate Foundation , a nonprofit organization founded in 2012 which aims to “fuel underwater discoveries in nautical archaeology, marine sciences and subsea technology” through public outreach and financial support.

The nonprofit’s website features OceanGate’s Titanic expedition, along with other global exploration expeditions.

OceanGate is based on the backside of a marina facility in Everett, Wash., tucked between several boat maintenance companies, where some workers were washing, inspecting and relocating yachts on Monday. No sign or logo marks its location, and the windows at the OceanGate doors were covered on Monday, one with a Titanic expedition logo. The entrance door was locked, and nobody responded to knocking. A nearby marina worker said OceanGate employees packed up and left for the Titanic expedition several weeks ago.

Andrea Kannapell

An Instagram post from Hamish Harding, who was aboard the submersible that went missing on Sunday, indicated that another member of the submersible team was Paul Henry Nargeolet, a French expert on the Titanic.

Emma Bubola ,  Salman Masood and Victoria Kim

Here is who was on the missing submersible.

Five people were on board the Titan submersible when it lost contact with its support ship during a dive to the Titanic wreckage site in the North Atlantic on Sunday. On Thursday, the U.S. Coast Guard and the company that operated the submersible, OceanGate Expeditions, said that all five people on board were believed to be dead.

Here are the passengers who were aboard the craft.

Stockton Rush

Stockton Rush was the founder and chief executive of OceanGate Expeditions, the company that operated the submersible. He was piloting the vessel.

In an interview that aired on CBS in November, Mr. Rush said he grew up wanting to be an astronaut and, after earning an aerospace engineering degree from Princeton in 1984, a fighter pilot.

“I had this epiphany that I didn’t want — it wasn’t about going to space,” Mr. Rush said. “It was about exploring. It was about finding new life-forms. I wanted to be sort of the Captain Kirk. I didn’t want to be the passenger in the back. And I realized that the ocean is the universe.” He founded OceanGate, a private company that is based in Everett, Wash., near Seattle, in 2009.

Read his obituary here .

Hamish Harding

Hamish Harding , a British businessman and explorer, holds several Guinness World Records, including one for the longest time spent traversing the deepest part of the ocean on a single dive. He wrote on his Facebook page on Saturday that he was proud to announce that he had joined OceanGate’s mission “on the sub going down to the Titanic.”

Mr. Harding, 58, was the chairman of Action Aviation, a sales and air operations company based in Dubai. He had previously flown to space on a mission by Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin rocket company.

Mr. Harding also took part in an effort to reintroduce cheetahs to India, and holds a world record for the fastest circumnavigation of Earth via both the geographic poles by plane.

Paul-Henri Nargeolet

Paul-Henri Nargeolet , a French maritime expert, had been on more than 35 dives to the Titanic wreck site.

Mr. Nargeolet was the director of underwater research for RMS Titanic, Inc. , an American company that owns the salvage rights to the famous wreck and displays many of the artifacts in Titanic exhibitions. The company conducted eight research and recovery expeditions between 1987 and 2010, according to its website.

Shahzada Dawood and Suleman Dawood

The British-Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood , 48, and his son, Suleman, 19, were members of one of Pakistan’s wealthiest families.

Mr. Dawood had a background in textiles and fertilizer manufacturing. His son was a business student at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, a spokesman for the school confirmed in a statement on Thursday.

Mr. Dawood and his son had “embarked on a journey to visit the remnants of the Titanic” when contact with the vessel was lost, the statement said, asking for privacy for the family.

Mr. Dawood was also on the board of trustees for the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute. The organization said on its website that he was a resident of Britain, and a father of two children.

April Rubin

‘Digital twin’ of the Titanic shows the shipwreck in extraordinary detail.

An ambitious digital imaging project has produced what researchers describe as a “digital twin” of the R.M.S. Titanic, showing the wreckage of the doomed ocean liner with a level of detail that has never been captured before.

The project, undertaken by Magellan Ltd., a deepwater seabed mapping company, yielded more than 16 terabytes of data, 715,000 still images and a high-resolution video. The visuals were captured over the course of a six-week expedition in the summer of 2022, nearly 2.4 miles below the surface of the North Atlantic, Atlantic Productions, which is working on a documentary about the project, said in a news release.

The researchers used two submersibles, named Romeo and Juliet, to map “every millimeter” of the wreckage as well as the entire three-mile debris field. Creating the model, which shows the ship lying on the ocean floor and the area around it, took about eight months, said Anthony Geffen, the chief executive and creative director of Atlantic Productions.

Jesus Jiménez

A Coast Guard admiral says rescue crews are ‘making the best use of every moment.’

By air and sea, rescue crews on Monday were racing to find five people in a submersible that went missing on Sunday just hours into a dive about 900 miles east of Cape Cod, Mass., officials said.

At a news conference in Boston on Monday afternoon, Rear Adm. John Mauger of the U.S. Coast Guard said that rescue crews were searching in a “remote area” in water roughly 13,000 feet deep, and that they were up against the clock to find those on board the vessel.

Admiral Mauger said that Coast Guard officials understood from OceanGate Expeditions, the operator of the submersible, which offers tours of shipwrecks and underwater canyons, that the vessel was designed to have 96 hours of “emergency capability.” He did not provide specifics about what that capability meant for those on board, though it was believed to indicate that they would have breathable air for four days.

“We’re using that time, making the best use of every moment of that time,” he said.

The five people on board the submersible were not identified at the news conference “out of respect for the families,” Admiral Mauger said, noting that one person on board was a pilot, or operator, and that the other four were “mission specialists.” He did not share what role the specialists served on the vessel, referring that question to the operator of the submersible.

The United States deployed two C-130 aircraft, with another aircraft expected to join the search later on Monday from the New York National Guard, and Canada has sent a C-130 and a P-8 submarine search aircraft, Admiral Mauger said.

“On the surface we have the commercial operator that’s been on site, and we’re bringing additional surface assets into play,” he said, adding that they will provide some “subsurface” search ability.

Admiral Mauger said that rescue teams had also deployed sonar buoys on the surface of the waters to try to locate the submersible, which had sent out its last reported communication about an hour and 45 minutes into its dive. Exactly when that was on Sunday morning was unclear.

In an interview with Fox News earlier on Monday, Admiral Mauger said that the Coast Guard did not have the right equipment in the search area to do a “comprehensive sonar survey of the bottom.”

“Right now, we’re really just focused on trying to locate the vessel again by saturating the air with aerial assets,” he said.

Christine Chung

To the bottom of the sea and the ends of the earth, high-risk travel is booming.

Plunging to the depths of the ocean in a submersible to explore the remains of the Titanic is just one of many extreme excursions on offer for travelers willing to pay a hefty price tag — and accept a substantial dose of peril.

There’s also swimming with great white sharks in Mexico, sailing by an active volcano in New Zealand and rocketing to space . These types of singular and dangerous adventures are becoming increasingly popular with deep-pocketed leisure travelers in search of novel experiences, several travel experts said.

“There are a lot of incredibly well-traveled folks out there who constantly push the boundaries of their travels to chase thrills and claim bragging rights,” said Peter Anderson, managing director of Knightsbridge Circle , a luxury concierge service with offices in London, New York and Dubai. “They’re so accustomed to what they consider to be typical vacations that they begin to seek out more unique experiences, many of which involve a degree of risk.”

Mr. Anderson said he had recently planned a trip for a client to visit the pyramids in South Sudan, the site of one of the world’s biggest refugee crises, which has a “Do Not Travel” advisory from the U.S. State Department. The planning process, he said, involved consultations with security experts on how to best mitigate potential dangers.

Another client wanted to voyage to the geographic South Pole — the southernmost point on Earth — which required chartering an icebreaker, a large vessel that can pass through ice-covered waters, and two helicopters for sightseeing. The trip, which cost about $100,000 per person, required a week of various health screenings and weather preparedness training.

Physically demanding expeditions to some of the world’s most remote destinations are a growing business for the luxury travel company Abercrombie & Kent , said Geoffrey Kent, its founder. He said the company uses expert guides to eliminate as much risk as possible.

“These are thrilling adventures for top-tier clients who have done pretty much everything,” Mr. Kent said in a statement, adding that the challenges left guests “with a sense of accomplishment.”

Perhaps the priciest ticket, and biggest possible risk, is space travel, which has been dominated by a trio of billionaire-led rocket companies: Blue Origin , owned by Jeff Bezos, whose passengers have included the “Star Trek” television star William Shatner; Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic , where tickets for a suborbital spaceflight start at $450,000; and Elon Musk’s SpaceX , which in 2022 launched an all-civilian spaceflight, with no trained astronauts on board.

A spokesman for the U.S. Coast Guard, speaking to reporters, said that the last reported communication from the submersible was about an hour and 45 minutes into its dive.

The spokesman said that the sea conditions in the search area right now are “fairly normal,” with three to six foot waves, with low visibility and fog.

Mauger said that the United States has deployed two C130 aircraft, with an additional on the way from the New York National Guard, and that the Canadians have sent a C130 and a P8 submarine search aircraft. “On the surface we have the commercial operator that’s been on site, and we’re bringing additional surface assets into play,” he said, adding that they will provide some “subsurface” search ability.

Mauger said that one submersible pilot was on board. “And there were four mission specialists, is the term that the operator uses,” he said. “You’ll have to ask the operator what that means.”

Jesus Jimenez

Mauger said it is believed the vessel was designed to sustain an emergency for 96 hours and estimated that the people inside would theoretically have between 70 to 96 hours of air. “We’re using that time making the best use of every moment of that time,” Mauger said.

Mauger said the location of the search is approximately 900 miles east of Cape Cod, Mass., in a water depth of roughly 13,000 feet. “It is a remote area and is a challenge to conduct a search in that remote area, but we are deploying all available assets to make sure that we can locate the craft and rescue the people on board.”

Mauger said that the search is being conducted both under the water, with sonar buoys and sonar on the expedition ship, and over the water, in case the submersible surfaced and lost communications, with the help of aircraft and surface vessels. He said the Coast Guard was coordinating both with the Canadian authorities and commercial vessels in the area for help.

Mauger said the Coast Guard was notified on Sunday afternoon by the operator of the submersible that it was “overdue” and that it had five people on board.

Rear Admiral John Mauger of the U.S. Coast Guard said at a news conference that “we are doing everything we can do” to find the submersible and rescue the five people inside. United States and Canadian aircraft are being used in the search, he said. Mauger said that the Coast Guard has put sonar buoys in the water to try to locate the submersible.

We’re standing by for Rear Admiral John Mauger of the U.S. Coast Guard to provide updates on the missing submersible at a news conference in Boston.

Ben Shpigel

The Titan is equipped with only a few days’ worth of life support.

The Titan , the vessel that went missing in the area of the Titanic wreck in the North Atlantic on Monday, is classified as a submersible, not a submarine, because it does not function as an autonomous craft, instead relying on a support platform to deploy and return.

According to the website for the tourism company operating the Titan, OceanGate Expeditions of Everett, Wash., the missing vessel is a submersible capable of taking five people — one pilot and four crew members — to depths of 4,000 meters, or more than 13,100 feet — for “site survey and inspection, research and data collection, film and media production, and deep sea testing of hardware and software.”

Made of titanium and carbon fiber, it weighs about 21,000 pounds and is listed as measuring 22 feet by 9.2 feet by 8.3 feet, with 96 hours of “life support” for five people.

The Titan, one of three types of crewed submersibles operated by OceanGate, is equipped with a platform similar to the dry dock of a ship that launches and recovers the vessel, the website said.

“The platform is used to launch and recover manned submersibles by flooding its flotation tanks with water for a controlled descent to a depths of 9.1 meters (30 feet) to avoid any surface turbulence,” according to the website.

“Once submerged, the platform uses a patented motion-dampening flotation system to remain coupled to the surface yet still provide a stable underwater platform from which our manned submersibles lift off of and return to after each dive,” the site continues. “At the conclusion of each dive, the sub lands on the submerged platform and the entire system is brought to the surface in approximately two minutes by filling the ballast tanks with air.”

OceanGate calls the Titan the only crewed submersible in the world that can take five people as deep as 4,000 meters — or more than 13,100 feet — enabling it to reach almost 50 percent of the world’s oceans. Unlike other submersibles, the Titan, the website said, employs a system that can analyze how pressure changes affect the vessel as it dives deeper, providing “early warning detection for the pilot with enough time to arrest the descent and safely return to surface.”

The Titan began deep-sea ventures related to the Titanic in 2021. According to the tech news site GeekWire , the vessel was “rebuilt” after OceanGate determined through testing that the vessel could not withstand the pressure of a 4,000-meter dive.

In a Fox News interview, Rear Admiral John Mauger of the U.S. Coast Guard 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.

The U.S. Coast Guard said in statement that it was searching for five people after the Canadian research vessel MV Polar Prince lost contact with a submersible during a dive about 900 miles east of Cape Cod, Mass., on Sunday morning. The Coast Guard scheduled a news conference for 4:30 p.m. Eastern time.

Jenny Gross

The Marine Institute at the Memorial University of Newfoundland, which partnered with OceanGate on the trip, said in a statement that it became aware on Monday morning that OceanGate had lost contact with its Titan submersible. One Marine Institute student who was on a summer employment contract with OceanGate was safe, the statement said. “We have no further information on the status of the submersible or personnel,” the statement said.

Emma Bubola

Rory Golden, an Irish diver who has previously visited the Titanic wreckage and is part of the OceanGate expedition, said in a Facebook post on Monday that a “major search and rescue operation” was underway. The focus on board the ship is “our friends,” he wrote. Communications were being limited to preserve bandwidth to coordinate operations, he added. (Because of an editing error, an earlier version of this update misstated Rory Golden’s nationality. He is Irish, not Scottish.)

Hamish Harding, the chairman of a Dubai-based sales and air operations company, Action Aviation, is among those aboard the missing submersible, according to Mark Butler, the company’s managing director. Harding, who holds several Guinness World Records, including for the longest time spent traversing the deepest part of the ocean on a single dive, wrote on his Facebook page on Saturday that a dive had been planned for Sunday: “A weather window has just opened up,” he wrote.

Tourists have been going to the Titanic site for decades, by robot or submersible.

For decades after the Titanic sank, searchers scanned the dark waters of the North Atlantic for the ship’s final resting place.

Since the wreck was found, in 1985, it has drawn hundreds of filmmakers, salvagers, explorers and tourists, using robots and submersibles.

First there was the team that took undersea robots to depths of more than 12,000 feet, verifying that the broken hulk it found at the bottom was in fact the Titanic. Then came many others, including James Cameron, the director who reinvigorated interest in the ship with his 1997 film, “ Titanic .”

The ship had long garnered intense interest among researchers and treasure hunters captivated by the tragic history of the wreck: the horror of the accident, the supposed hubris of the ship’s builders, the enormous wealth of many and the poverty of others on the luxury liner juxtaposed with the cold facts of the iceberg and the sea.

But Mr. Cameron’s hit imbued the wreck with a new story of romance and tragedy, renewing interest far beyond those with an interest in famous accidents at sea.

By the early 2000s, scientists were warning that visitors were a threat to the wreck, saying that gaping holes had opened up in the decks, walls had crumpled, and that rusticles — icicle-shaped structures of rust — were spreading all over the ship.

Tourists were paying up to $36,000 per dive by submersible. Salvage crews hunted for artifacts to bring back up, over the objections of preservationists who said the wreck should be honored as the graveyard for more than 1,500 people. Wreckage from a submersible accident was found on one of the Titanic’s decks. Researchers said the site was littered with beer and soda bottles and the remains of salvage efforts, including weights, chains and cargo nets.

Mr. Cameron, who has repeatedly visited the wreck, was among those calling for care around the site. In 2003, he took 3D cameras there for his 2003 documentary, “ Ghosts of the Abyss .”

OceanGate Expeditions, the private company operating the submersible that went missing on Monday, was founded in 2009. By the time it began offering tours to paying customers, researchers said that the Titanic had little scientific value compared to other sites.

But cultural interest in the Titanic remains extraordinarily high: OceanGate charges $250,000 for a submersible tour of the wreck, and the disaster continues to command a fascination online, sometimes at the expense of facts .

A spokeswoman for Canada's Coast Guard said that a military aircraft and a Coast Guard ship had been deployed to help search for the missing submersible. The ship, Kopit Hopson 1752, was off eastern Newfoundland, and headed for the search area.

Dana Rubinstein

John Lockwood, a longtime OceanGate board member, has been in the company’s submersibles, though not the Titan, the one that he said takes people to the Titanic. He said the submersibles have a viewing port and external cameras. “But it’s not like going down in a submarine at a very shallow depth, where there are multiple viewing ports,” he said.

Amanda Holpuch

The tour’s operator charges $250,000 for trips to the sunken wreckage.

OceanGate Expeditions, the operator of the submersible that disappeared during a voyage to the wreckage of the Titanic, has led previous tourist trips to the site at a cost of $250,000 per person.

Stockton Rush, the president of OceanGate, told The New York Times last summer that private exploration was needed to continue feeding public fascination with the wreck site.

“No public entity is going to fund going back to the Titanic,” Mr. Rush said. “There are other sites that are newer and probably of greater scientific value.”

OceanGate takes paying tourists in submersibles to underwater canyons and shipwrecks, including the Titanic. Last year, it shared a one-minute clip of video obtained during one of its trips to the wreck site, which was discovered in 1985, less than 400 miles off Newfoundland.

The dives last about eight hours, including the estimated 2.5 hours each way it takes to descend and ascend. Scientists and historians provide context on the trip and some conduct research at the site, which has become a reef that is home to many organisms. The team also documents the wreckage with high-definition cameras to monitor its decay and capture it in detail.

Mr. Rush said that the high quality of the footage allowed researchers to get an even closer look at the site without having to go underwater. He compared the OceanGate trips to space tourism, saying the commercial voyages were the first step to expanding the use of the submersibles for industrial activities, such as inspecting and maintaining underwater oil rigs.

“For those who think it’s expensive, it’s a fraction of the cost of going to space and it’s very expensive for us to get these ships and go out there,” Mr. Rush said. “And the folks who don’t like anybody making money sort of miss the fact that that’s the only way anything gets done in this world is if there is profit or military need.”

Because of an editing error, an earlier version of this article misstated the day that the expedition’s research vessel lost contact with the submersible. It was Sunday, not Monday.

How we handle corrections

Trevor Munroe, a Canadian Coast Guard spokesman, said his country is involved in the rescue mission, but the U.S. Coast Guard is leading it from Boston. “It’s technically in their waters,” he said.

The New York Times

Here’s how The New York Times covered the sinking of the Titanic in 1912.

The Titanic was en route to New York on its maiden voyage when it struck an iceberg and sank on April 15, 1912. The sinking was front-page news around the world, including in The New York Times. Here is a portion of The Times’s coverage, as it was written that day. The digital version of the paper from that day can be viewed here .

The admission that the Titanic, the biggest steamship in the world, had been sunk by an iceberg and had gone to the bottom of the Atlantic, probably carrying more than 1,400 of her passengers and crew with her, was made at the White Star Line offices, 9 Broadway, at 8:20 o’clock last night.

Then P.A.S. Franklin, Vice President and General Manager of the International Mercantile Marine, conceded that probably only those passengers who were picked up by the Cunarder Carpathia had been saved. Advices received early this morning tended to increase the number of survivers by 200.

The admission followed a day in which the White Star Line officials had been optimistic in the extreme. At no time was the admission made that every one aboard the huge steamer was not safe. The ship itself, it was confidently asserted, was unsinkable, and inquirers were informed that she would reach port, under her own steam probably, but surely with the help of the Allan liner Virginian, which was reported to be towing her.

As the day passed, however, with no new authentic reports from the Titanic or any of the ships were known to have responded to her wireless call for help, it became apparent that authentic news of the disaster probably could come only from the Titanic’s sister ship, the Olympic.

The wireless range of the Olympic is 500 miles. That of the Carpathia, the Parisian, and the Virginian is much less, and as they neared the position of the Titanic they drew further and further out of shore range. From the Titanic’s position at the time of the disaster it is doubtful if any of the ships except the Olympic could establish communication with shore.

$250,000-a-Seat Submersible On a Trip To Titanic Wreckage Goes Missing; What We Know So Far

A desperate hunt is on to locate the submersible that went missing during a trip to the bottom of the ocean. The submersible was taking tourists to the wreckage of the legendary Titanic. 

On its way down, the submersible lost contact sparking fears for the safety of the five members onboard. The OceanGate submersible called Titan lost contact just one hour and 45 minutes into the sea Sunday, as per the United States Coasts Guard. 

Since the discovery of the wreckage in 1985, the tales of the ship and the iceberg have captivated people from around the world. The vessle is equipped with all modern technology, however, the immense pressure of the deep sea can fail even the best of technologies. 

Government agencies have deployed maritime experts and specialized teams to find it. Deep-diving teams, sonar systems, and also ROVs, which can be operated from a distance, are all pressed into rescue operations. But the teams are facing numerous hurdles because of the North Atlantic's dangerous underwater conditions. 

As per New York Post , the submersible had less than 70 to 96 hours of emergency oxygen (at the time of writing) to support the passengers onboard. 

The deepest rescue of any submarine was recorded at a depth of just 1575 feet below the Celtic Sea off the coast of Ireland in 1973, as per BBC. 

The Submersible

Titan submersible lost at sea. This vessel can hold up to 5 people on board for 96 hours. It is small but can take a group to see the Titanic wreckage in the Atlantic Ocean for $250,000 a seat. 12,500 feet down. No contact made for 7 hours. They must be terrified. @BBCNews pic.twitter.com/iXcbBSyAtD — Rose (@901Lulu) June 19, 2023

The submersible Titan is a smaller version of a submarine. As per Daily Mail , it is the world's only carbon-fiber submersible capable of carrying five people on board -- a pilot, a content expert, and three guests.

The company OpenGate advertises it as a "once in a lifetime opportunity" to safely witness the Titanic wreckage site. 

The submarine is 22 ft long and features a dome window at the front end, from which guests can sit and watch the majestic ruin site. 

The submersible is also designed to automatically float up to the surface of the sea if it runs into any trouble and is also supposed to remain connected to the Internet via Elon Musk's Starlink system. However, as we know, the vessel has lost all connection. 

Rescue Missions So Far

David Pogue, who traveled in the vessel last year, told the BBC that there's no way to escape from the vessel unless an external crew is letting them out. The submarine is locked by bolts from the outside and has to be unlocked from the outside for them to get out. 

As per Sky News, a distress signal has been sent out from the submersible. Dr Dimon Boxall said that they have generated a distress signal from the vessel, however, the timing of the communication is not yet known.

Submersible and Submarine Cannot Be Used Interchangeably

The vessel that has disappeared is a submersible, which is a miniature submarine. A submarine is fully capable of renewing its own power and also oxygen. Unlike a submarine, a submersible relies on outside help, such as a surface vessel or an outside team. 

What Did OceanGate Expedition Have To Say?

In an official statement about the missing vessel, the company said that it was "exploring and mobilizing all options" in an effort to bring back the crew members.

"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 crew members." the company added.

Who Is On Board?

One of the passengers on board is the British billionaire businessman Hamish Harding. Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son are also on the submersible, Reuters  reported. Among the other passengers are Stockon Rush, and French Pilot Paul Henry Nargeolet. 

How Much Does The Titanic Wreck Tour Cost?

It is only been a decade since passengers have had the opportunity to reach the bottom of the ocean to witness the Titanic shipwreck. At $250,000 a seat on a submarine, it's not a tour that ordinary tourists can afford. The eight-day trip includes dives to the wreck at a depth of 3,800m (12,500ft), as per BBC.

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A remarkable new view of the Titanic shipwreck is here, thanks to deep-sea mappers

Rachel Treisman

Scientists were able to map the entirety of the shipwreck site, from the Titanic's separated bow and stern sections to its vast debris field. Atlantic/Magellan hide caption

Scientists were able to map the entirety of the shipwreck site, from the Titanic's separated bow and stern sections to its vast debris field.

A deep sea-mapping company has created the first-ever full-sized digital scan of the Titanic, revealing an entirely new view of the world's most famous shipwreck.

The 1912 sinking of the Titanic has captivated the public imagination for over a century. And while there have been numerous expeditions to the wreck since its discovery in 1985, its sheer size and remote position — some 12,500 feet underwater and 400 nautical miles off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada — have made it nearly impossible for anyone to see the full picture.

Until now, that is. Using technology developed by Magellan Ltd., scientists have managed to map the Titanic in its entirety, from its bow and stern sections (which broke apart after sinking) to its 3-by-5-mile debris field.

Newly released footage of a 1986 Titanic dive reveals the ship's haunting interior

The result is an exact "digital twin" of the wreck, media partner Atlantic Productions said in a news release.

"What we've created is a highly accurate photorealistic 3D model of the wreck," 3D capture specialist Gerhard Seiffert says. "Previously footage has only allowed you to see one small area of the wreck at a time. This model will allow people to zoom out and to look at the entire thing for the first time ... This is the Titanic as no one had ever seen it before."

The Titanic site is hard to get to, hard to see and hard to describe, says Jeremy Weirich, the director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Ocean Exploration program (he's been to the site).

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"Imagine you're at the bottom of the ocean, there's no light, you can't see anything, all you have is a flashlight and that beam goes out by 10 feet, that's it," he says. "It's a desert. You're moving along, you don't see anything, and suddenly there's a steel ship in front of you that's the size of a skyscraper and all you can see is the light that's illuminated by your flashlight."

This new imagery helps convey both that sense of scale and level of detail, Weirich tells NPR.

Magellan calls this the largest underwater scanning project in history: It generated an unprecedented 16 terabytes of data and more than 715,000 still images and 4k video footage.

"We believe that this data is approximately ten times larger than any underwater 3D model that's ever been attempted before," said Richard Parkinson, Magellan founder and CEO.

James Cameron aims to finally put that 'Titanic' door debate to rest, 25 years later

Experts in Titanic history and deep-sea exploration are hailing the model as an invaluable research tool. They believe it could help scientists and historians solve some of the ship's lingering mysteries — and learn more about other underwater sites, too.

Longtime Titanic explorer and analyst Parks Stephenson described the model as a "game changer" in a phone interview with NPR.

"It takes [us] further into new technology that's going to be the standard, I think, not just for Titanic exploration, but all underwater exploration in the future," he adds.

The effort yielded 16 terabytes of data and more than 715,000 still images, in what Magellan calls the largest underwater scanning project ever. Atlantic/Magellan hide caption

The effort yielded 16 terabytes of data and more than 715,000 still images, in what Magellan calls the largest underwater scanning project ever.

A project years in the making, featuring Romeo and Juliet

Explorers and artists have spent decades trying to depict the Titanic wreck, albeit in lower-tech ways.

After Robert Ballard — along with France's Jean-Louis Michel — discovered the site in 1985, he combined all of his photos to form the first photomosaic of the wreck, which showed the ship's bow and was published in National Geographic. Those efforts have been replicated in the years since.

"But the problem with all that is it requires interpretation," Stephenson says. "It requires human interpretation, and there are gaps in the knowledge."

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Flash forward to the summer of 2022. Scientists spent six weeks capturing scans of the site, using technology that Magellan says it had been developing over the course of five years.

The expedition deployed two submersibles, named Romeo and Juliet, some 2.3 miles below the surface to map every millimeter of the wreck site.

They didn't go inside the ship, let alone touch the site, in accordance with existing regulations, and paid their respects to the more than 1,500 victims with a flower laying ceremony.

And they describe the mission as a challenge, with the team fighting bad weather and technical challenges in the middle of the Atlantic.

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James cameron: diving deep, dredging up titanic.

"When we saw the data come in it was all worth it," Seiffert says. "The level of detail we saw and recorded was extraordinary."

The scientists spent months processing and rendering the data to create the "digital twin," which the company says it's looking forward to sharing publicly.

Stephenson saw an early version of the model, when Atlantic Productions brought him on to consult on its validity. So did Ken Marschall, the maritime artist known for his Titanic paintings.

"We've both seen it with our eyes. We've both seen thousands of digital images of the wreck in imagery, moving imagery," Stephenson said. "But we'd never seen the wreck like this. It was different, but at the same time you just knew it was right."

Experts say the model will be a valuable tool for future Titanic research and deep-sea exploration in general. Atlantic/Magellan hide caption

Experts say the model will be a valuable tool for future Titanic research and deep-sea exploration in general.

There's still a lot left to learn about the Titanic

Can there really be that much left to discover about the Titanic, more than 110 years on?

Stephenson says "at the end of the day, none of this matters." But there's a reason people keep visiting and talking about the wreck, he adds, and it's not because of any buried treasure.

"It's fame, I guess," Stephenson says. "People can't get enough of Titanic. And as long as people can't get enough of the Titanic, people will keep going to ... these mysteries."

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Robert ballard: what hidden underwater worlds are left to discover.

In Stephenson's case, it's the unanswered questions that keep drawing him back.

"I've been grinding away at this for a while, and I'm not on a crusade to dismantle the Titanic narrative that has grown since 1912," he says. "But ... I have had enough experience and seen enough evidence that makes me seriously question even some of the most basic aspects of the Titanic story."

One example: Stephenson says there's reason to doubt the long-accepted conclusion that the ship hit the iceberg along its starboard side. He points to a growing body of evidence that suggests it actually grounded briefly on part of the iceberg that was submerged underwater instead.

Just looking at the preliminary modeling has helped Stephenson bring a lot of his evidence and questions into focus — it may be early days, but he says he already has a better understanding of how the ship's stern came to be in such bad shape.

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Stephenson sees this moment as a paradigm shift in underwater archaeology.

"We're essentially getting to the end of the first generation of Titanic research and exploration, and we're getting ready to transition into the next generation," he says. "And I think this tool basically signals a shift from that generation to the next."

Stephenson wants to use the model to document the extent of Titanic exploration up to this point, from Ballard to James Cameron and beyond. He says a "massive project" is underway, and will hopefully result in a scientific paper and online archive. Then, he plans to use the tool to answer whatever questions remain.

There have been "photomosaics" and other renderings of the shipwreck over the decades, but this is the first such 3D model. Atlantic/Magellan hide caption

There have been "photomosaics" and other renderings of the shipwreck over the decades, but this is the first such 3D model.

The Titanic is a gateway into deep ocean exploration

As a maritime archaeologist, Weirich is most interested in what the ship's condition can teach us about how to better preserve deep-sea shipwrecks in general. For example, how has it impacted the environment since it sunk, and how have the visits since its discovery impacted the site?

The Titanic site has been designated as a maritime memorial, which makes preservation even more important. And Weirich says research on everything from its rate of deterioration to the microbial environment can be applied to other such sites worldwide.

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There are estimated to be hundreds of thousands of wrecks in the world, from ancient wooden ships in the Black Sea to World War II vessels in the Gulf of Mexico, Weirich says.

And this kind of technology could play a crucial role in learning more about deep-sea environments in general, from undersea resources to geological features to unknown species.

Weirich says he hopes these images of the Titanic will give people a greater appreciation for the deep ocean, and a better understanding of just how much is left to explore.

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"The story of Titanic and the shipwreck itself is extremely compelling, but it is a gateway for people to understand what we know and don't know about the deep ocean," he adds.

Weirich remembers being personally captivated by those first images of the shipwreck in National Geographic when he was just 10 years old. That sparked his lifelong interest in ocean exploration — and he hopes young people seeing these latest images are inspired too.

• deep sea exploration