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A massive search and rescue operation is underway in the Atlantic Ocean after a tourist submersible went missing during a dive to Titanic's wreck on Sunday.

The Titanic, which was the largest ship of its time, hit an iceberg on its maiden voyage from the UK port of Southampton to New York in 1912. Of the 2,200 passengers and crew onboard, more than 1,500 died.

Contact with the small sub was lost about an hour and 45 minutes into its dive to the wreckage 3,800m below the surface.

A race against time is now underway to find the submersible to rescue its five occupants before their air supply runs out. The tour firm OceanGate says all options are being explored to rescue the people onboard.

Newsday heard from Steve Nagiewicz who's a marine archaeologist at Stockton University in the US and has logged more than 4,000 dives over the past 25 years. He said the distinction between a submarine and a submersible vessel is important in this case.

鈥淎s a submersible... they don't have as much control of up-and-down as a normal submarine might. You're sitting in a small closet essentially. You're with your own thoughts. You've trained for this... there'll always be safety training. There are no bathrooms."

(Pic: Titan submersible: Credit: OceanGate Expeditions)

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