I'm not against the mission at all. But, U.S. taxpayers should not pay for it, especially since this is not a U.S. vessel and none of the passengers are Americans. Our country is broke.

Interesting live report from BBC.
Section about previous safety concerns could be relevant if sub is ever found.

Titanic sub live updates: Noise gives target for Titan search, says Coast Guard - BBC News

even is the vessel was located, how will they retrieve it if it is in fact, 'stuck.'? news says many subs can't even dive to the wreck due to the depths

Just heard that a banging sound was picked up on sonar, so presumably they are still alive. Their air is projected to run out at 6:00 AM tomorrow. A deep diving vessel is in transit to attempt a rescue mission but the success is very problematic. Fingers crossed.

//////

Fortune Magazine reported that “David Lochridge—who began working as OceanGate’s director of marine operations in 2015—alleged that he was sacked after pointing out to the company that the submersible had not been built or tested to suitable safety standards, potentially putting passengers “milliseconds from implosion.”

OceanGate director said fired for noting safety flaws | Fortune

https://l.smartnews.com/p-9Nk8f/RxttiB

I don’t know if there are laws that ensure these type of vessels are built for safety, but it sounds like this company may have bypassed some critical testing.

The Navy has a system they call FADOSS (Flyaway Deep Ocean Salvage System). Imagine a large version of an Arcade Claw Machine.

Those Arcade claws never grab anything.

I remember winning a pack of "nudie" playing cards many decades ago:angel::angel::angel:

OceanGate Expeditions, based in Everett, Washington, was founded in 2009 by aerospace engineer Stockton Rush, who is also aboard the submersible, according to a source with knowledge of the mission plan.
Base of operation is Newfoundland 400 miles from wreck site, Cape Cod is 900 miles from site.

OceanGate Expeditions, based in Everett, Washington, was founded in 2009 by aerospace engineer Stockton Rush, who is also aboard the submersible, according to a source with knowledge of the mission plan.2

that's a relief, i cannot imagine a worse way to go. God be with them .

Titanic artifacts go on display in Florida - Deseret News

I remember going down to St Pete from Palm Harbor to see this Titanic Exhibition in 1997. Went with my brother, sister-in-law, and parents.

It was quite fascinating. Think I saw the movie Titanic maybe 4 times in the movie theater. Titanic (1997 film - Wikipedia)

Our budget for this year is what, $1.4 Trillion? A couple hundred million is pennies in that budget plus they don't add the cost, they transfer the money. Also, both Canada and France have assets helping in the search and the US Coast Guard turned down help from the UK. I assume your alternative would be to do nothing until all the financials are accounted for and disclosed?

"A couple hundred million is pennies". Of course, because our budget is way too high. I said I am not opposed to the mission, but we should expect the countries we are helping to reimburse us for our costs. It's easy to spend taxpayer money, when you don't need to actually write a check, and you can just raise the national debt.