A search and rescue mission is taking place in the north Atlantic Ocean after a submarine used to take tourists to view the wreck of the Titanic went missing.

The small vessel is one of a number that occasionally take tourists, experts and scientists down to see the world-famous wreck.

It is currently unknown how many people were on board when the craft lost contact, or if there were any at all.

The Boston Coastguard told the BBC a search operation was underway on Monday.

Multi-day trips to the wreck cost tens of thousands of dollars and one dive to Titanic, including both the descent and the ascent, reportedly takes around eight hours.

Last year, it was reported that one such excursion run by OceanGate – a private company in Washington –  cost a group of guests $250,000 to take the submersible 2.4 miles down to where the wreckage lays on the seabed.

Last year’s mission was 10 days long, with eight of those days at sea, a tourist brochure read.

Each mission has just six people on board, known as ‘mission specalists’.

Earlier this year, the company said it planned an expedition to the wreck for Summer 2023, which would further document the Titanic and its ‘rate of decay’.

Their mission plan reads: ‘Given the massive scale of the wreck and the debris field, multiple missions performed over several years will be required to fully document and model the wreck site.

‘This longitudinal survey to collect images, videos, laser, and sonar data will allow objective assessment of the rate of decay and documentation of the process.

‘Qualified explorers have the opportunity to join the expedition as Mission Specialist crewmembers whose Training and Mission Support Fees underwrite the mission, the participation of the science team, and their own training. Each team of 6 Mission Specialists will join the expedition for a 10-day mission (8 Days at Sea). The entire expedition is comprised of 5 mission legs.’

The statement goes on to say that mission specialists would ‘capture data and images for the continued scientific study of the site’, ‘‘document the condition of the wreck with high-definition photographs and video’, and ‘document the flora and fauna inhabiting the wreck site for comparison with data collected on prior scientific expeditions to better assess changes in the habitat and maritime heritage site.

The famous shipwreck sits 3,800m (12,500ft) down at the bottom of the Atlantic. It is about 600km (370 miles) off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada.

The passenger liner, which was the largest ship of its time, hit an iceberg on its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York in 1912.

Of the 2,200 passengers and crew onboard, more than 1,500 died.

The Titanic has been extensively explored since the wreck was discovered in 1985.

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