The United States Coast Guard launched a search and rescue operation yesterday, Monday, June 19, 2023, for a submarine lost during an exploratory trip to the Titanic wreck, according to the American news network CNN in its report. The group conducting the trip, Oceangate Expeditions, said it is "exploring and mobilizing all options to safely bring the crew back."

It added: "Our entire focus is on the crew members in the submarine and their families. We are deeply grateful for the extensive assistance we have received from many government agencies and deep-sea companies in our efforts to reconnect with the submarine. We are working towards the safe return of the crew members."

The company stated on its website that the submarine accommodates up to five people. The number of people on board was not immediately clear.

The company organizes private trips for tourists at a price of $250,000 per person to see the Titanic wreck, which collided with an iceberg on its maiden voyage and sank in the North Atlantic in April 1912, resulting in the death of more than 1,500 people. The wreck was discovered in 1985 and lies in two parts on the ocean floor about 13,000 feet below the surface southeast of Newfoundland.

The eight-day exploratory trip is based in St. John's, Newfoundland, and starts with a 400 nautical mile journey to the wreck site.

Inside the submarine "Titan," there are five people, including the captain and the "content expert," and three passengers allowed to descend to see the wreck up close on the ocean floor.

According to OceanGate, the Titan is an 11.5-ton submarine made of carbon fiber and titanium.

The submarine uses the "Real-Time Hull Monitoring (RTM)" system, which analyzes the pressure on the vessel and the integrity of the hull. It also has life support for a crew of five for up to 96 hours.

In a related context, British media reported that billionaire Hamish Harding, director of the commercial aviation company Action Aviation, was on board the submarine lost since Sunday morning, along with French diving expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet and Stockton Rush, founder and CEO of OceanGate, the trip organizer.