In the photo: the last image of the Titanic submarine before its disappearance

The Titan was pictured before it sank. went missing while diving into the wreck of the Titanic with five people on board.

Dirty Dozen Productions, which specializes in underwater photography and videography, filmed the OceanGate Titan on Sunday before it went down to explore the remains of the ship. a sunken passenger liner.

This is believed to be the last image of Titan taken before it became the focus of a rescue operation launched on Monday when its crew lost contact with the research vessel above the surface.

British billionaire and aviation magnate Hamish Harding is among those who are aboard the submersible.< /p> Hamish Harding was photographed before the expedition. Photo: Dirty Dozen Productions/Dirty Dozen Productions

In another image taken by Dirty Dozen Productions, Mr. Harding leans on the side of a boat before the expedition.

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The 58-year-old aviator, space tourist and The Action Aviation chairman posted on his Instagram account on Sunday that he was proud to join the OceanGate Titanic mission.

“Due to the harshest Newfoundland winter in 40 years, this mission is likely to be the first and only manned expedition to the Titanic in 2023,” he wrote.

French explorer Paul-Henri Nargolet and the head of OceanGate, it is widely known that Stockton Rush's chief executive was on board the 21-foot ship.

Father and son on board

While the family of Pakistani father and son Shahzada and Suleman Daoud say the men were also among those who were on the underwater vehicle. .

In a statement, the relatives said: “At the moment, communication with their submersible has been lost and information available is limited.

“Rescue work, which is carried out jointly by several government agencies and deep-sea companies, to re-establish contact with the submersible and return it safely.

«We are very grateful for the concern shown by our colleagues and friends and would like to ask everyone to pray for their safety.»

The US Coast Guard launched two aircraft to survey a remote area in the North Atlantic, while its Canadian counterparts sent a plane and a ship.