The submersible that visited the Titanic wreck had previously experienced problems.

The Titan submersible, which is missing in the Atlantic Ocean, had previously gotten lost for about 2.5 hours last year.

CBS reporter David Pogue was aboard the Titan submersible last year to film for the CBS Sunday Morning program. On June 19, Pogue revealed that the submersible had lost contact with the surface vessel providing guidance.

"Because there was no underwater GPS, the surface vessel was tasked with navigating the submersible to the Titanic wreck by sending messages. However, during that dive, the communication system malfunctioned," Pogue recounted.

"We got lost for about 2.5 hours. The submersible didn't reach the Titanic wreck area," Pogue said. The submersible eventually returned without achieving its goal. The service operator announced that arrangements would be made for passengers on this failed trip to experience it again for free in 2024.

The Titan submersible was featured in a CBS news report last year. Photo: CBS — The Titan submersible was featured in a CBS news report last year. Photo: *CBS*

The Titan submersible, operated by OceanGate Expeditions to provide tours of the Titanic wreck, began submerging in the Atlantic Ocean on the morning of June 18 and lost contact with the surface vessel Polar Prince less than two hours later.

One of the passengers on board the Titan submersible may be British billionaire Hamish Harding, 58. Mr. Harding had previously posted about the trip on social media. Sky News reported that among those on board were also Paul-Henry Nargeolet, a French submersible pilot, and Stockton Rush, CEO and founder of OceanGate Expeditions.

OceanGate announced on Twitter last week that it plans to hold one tour to the Titanic wreck site this year due to weather issues, and two more tours are scheduled for June 2024. The company noted that, due to its location in the middle of the Atlantic, it relies on Elon Musk's Starlink satellites for communication at sea.

The wreck of the Titanic, which sank after colliding with an iceberg in 1912, was found in 1985 at a depth of nearly 4,000 meters, about 600 kilometers off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada. Since then, numerous scientists and professional expeditions have approached the area.

In 2020, OceanGate Expeditions announced a tour to view the wreck of the Titanic, costing approximately $250,000 per person. The submersible typically carries five people: a pilot, three passengers, and a person described by the company as a "content expert." Because the submersible has limited energy reserves, it cannot leave port and return on its own; it requires a mother ship to transport it to the location and retrieve it.

Ngoc Anh (According to NY Post )

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