Huge rescue mission launched after Titanic tourist sub goes missing in Atlantic Ocean

A submersible used to take tourists to visit the wreck site of the sunken Titanic has gone missing in the Atlantic Ocean. A search and rescue mission is now underway to find the vessel.

It is not currently clear how many people were on board at the time the vessel went missing. Small submersibles are used to occasionally take paying tourists down to the wreck of the Titanic which sank in 1912.

The famous shipwreck sits at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, about 3,800m (12,500ft) under the surface. The wreck is around 370 miles off of the Canadian coastline.

The Titanic was a passenger liner and at the time was the largest ship of its kind and sank after hitting an iceberg during its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York in 1912. Out of the 2,200 people on board, over 1,500 passengers and crew died.

Submersibles have a limited power reserve and require a mother ship to launch and recover them after their trip. The vehicle is different to a sub which has enough power to leave port and come back on its own.

On Monday, June 19, the Boston Coastguard confirmed to the BBC that a search and rescue mission was underway to recover the vessel.