Passengers on Missing Titanic Submersible Have No Way To Escape

Passengers aboard the now-missing submersible that went to explore the remains of the RMS Titanic may not be able to escape.

In 2022, CBS News correspondent David Pogue traveled on the submersible, called The Titan, operated by OceanGate Expeditions, and, this week, he explained to BBC that the surfacing capabilities of the vessel are limited.

"There's no backup, there's no escape pod," Pogue told the BBC. "It's, 'Get to the surface or die.'"

The comments by Pogue come shortly after OceanGate Expeditions confirmed to CBS News that a search and rescue mission was underway to locate The Titan which was traveling to see the wreckage of the Titanic, which sank in 1912 after hitting an iceberg while sailing to New York from Britain on its first voyage, killing about 1,500 people.

Who is Looking for The Titan?

In a statement, OceanGate Expeditions spokespeople Jim Wilkinson and Andrew Von Kerens told Newsweek, "For some time, we have been unable to establish communications with one of our submersible exploration vehicles which is currently visiting the wreck site of the Titanic. Our entire focus is on the wellbeing of the crew and every step possible is being taken to bring the five crew members back safely."

"We are deeply grateful for the urgent and extensive assistance we are receiving from multiple government agencies and deep-sea companies as we seek to reestablish contact with the submersible. We pray for the safe return of the crew and passengers, and we will provide updates as they are available," the statement added.

In a series of tweets on Monday, the U.S. Coast Guard Northeast confirmed that they were searching for the missing submersible.

"The @USCG is searching for a 21-foot submersible from the Canadian research vessel Polar Prince. The 5 person crew submerged Sunday morning, and the crew of the Polar Prince lost contact with them approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes into the vessel's dive," one tweet said.

"#Update A Canadian Aircraft P3 Aurora has arrived on scene to conduct sonar searches. The R/V Polar Prince and R/V Deep Energy are continuing their surface searches. Total search area completed as of this morning is 10,000 SQ miles," another tweet on Tuesday morning said.

What is OceanGate Expeditions?

In 2022, Pogue published a story on CBS News detailing his journey on the OceanGate Expeditions submersible and wrote that tickets for the expedition are around $250,000. Pogue also spoke with Stockton Rush, the CEO of OceanGate Expeditions who said, "We have clients that are Titanic enthusiasts, which we refer to as Titaniacs."

"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," Rush said.

Who Was Onboard The Titan?

Captain Hamish Harding was aboard the missing submersible as well as others who were identified as Shahzada Dawood and his son, Suleman, as well as Paul-Henri Nargeolet, a Titanic researcher.

"Harding is chairman of private plane firm Action Aviation, which said he is one of the mission specialists on the five-person OceanGate Expeditions vessel reported overdue on Sunday evening about 435 miles south of St John's, Newfoundland," reported the Independent.

The Dawood family requested privacy, but the Independent reported he is a business advisor and the pair are from a wealthy Pakistani family with strong ties to the U.K.

Nargeolet spent 25 years in the French navy and has done over 35 dives in The Titan.

"He is the director of underwater research for RMS Titanic, Inc., which leads expeditions to the wreck that recovers artifacts," the Independent reported.

The fifth passenger was reported by the Independent to be the CEO of OceanGate Explorations, Stockton Rush.