The search for a submersible on a sightseeing mission to the remains of the Titanic ended in tragedy as the U.S. Coast Guard announced on Thursday that it had located the imploded wreckage of the Titan on the sea floor less than 2,000 feet from the doomed ocean liner’s bow. All five on board were lost, including Hamish Harding, chairman of Dubai-based aircraft brokerage Action Aviation and a noted adventurer, who was onboard as a “mission specialist”—one of the individuals who paid up to $250,000 for the trip.
The Titan, which had survived previous dives to the Titanic, lost contact with the surface on Sunday, less than two hours after it began its descent. It is not known when the submersible suffered a “catastrophic implosion,” although rescuers spent two days futilely trying to home in on what was described as a banging noise in the area. The urgency of the search was spurred by the limited hours of life support available on the Titan.
