Search for Titanic submarine expanding to deeper waters, says US Coast Guard

The submersible reportedly lost contact with its support ship an hour and 45 minutes later it started.

Authorities are expanding their search into deeper waters for a submersible that disappeared while taking wealthy tourists to the Titanic wreckage off the coast of Canada, a US Coast Guard official said on Tuesday.

"As we continue on with this search ... we've been working through the night with a broad group of partners to bring all capabilities to bear looking on both the surface and now expanding to a subsurface in the area," US Coast Guard Rear Admiral John Mauger told CNN in an interview.

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Many underwater vehicles are fitted with an acoustic device, often called a pinger, which emits sounds that can be detected underwater by rescuers. Whether Titan has one is unclear.

The submersible reportedly lost contact with its support ship an hour and 45 minutes into what is normally a 2 1/2-hour dive to the bottom, where the Titanic lies.