OceanGate Expeditions' lost contact with its sub Sunday en route to the wreckage of the Titanic.
OceanGate invited a federal judge who has overseen access to the wreckage on the trip; she declined.
The judge, Rebecca Beach Smith, has supervised the famous wreck since 2002 from her seat on the U.S. District Court in Norfolk, Virginia.
In April, a consultant for OceanGate Expeditions notified her of the company's intent to "undertake a series of photographic and scientific survey expeditions at the wreck site of the R.M.S.
"I thank you for the invitation to participate in the 2023 Titanic Survey Expedition, and perhaps, if another expedition occurs in the future, I will be able to do so," she wrote.
Persons:
OceanGate, Rebecca Beach Smith, David Concannon, Concannon, Beach Smith, Smith
Organizations:
U.S, OceanGate Expeditions, Titanic Survey, Coast Guard
Locations:
Norfolk , Virginia