A Canadian aircraft involved in the search for the missing submarine heading towards the Titanic discovered regular “banging” sounds every half an hour in the vicinity where communication with the surface ship was lost.
Internal emails sent to the Department of Homeland Security contained details of these potential signs of life aboard the OceanGate Expeditions’ submersible. However, the specific timing of when the Canadian maritime surveillance and patrol aircraft detected the banging remains unspecified in the obtained emails from Rolling Stone.
Nevertheless, an email from The Explorers Club, an organization whose member was on the submersible, mentioned the detection of “tapping sounds” around 2 a.m. local time, suggesting that the crew might be alive and attempting to signal for help.
The email updates sent to the Department of Homeland Security stated that RCC Halifax deployed a P8 Poseidon aircraft equipped with underwater detection capabilities. The P8 released sonobuoys, which detected a contact in close proximity to the distress position. The aircraft heard banging sounds in the area every half an hour. Four hours later, additional sonar was deployed, and the banging sounds persisted.
Separately, the US Coast Guard announced on Wednesday morning that “underwater noises” were identified by a Canadian P-3 aircraft in the search area. Consequently, a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) was redirected to the location where the sounds were heard. However, the ROV searches conducted thus far have yielded no results, according to officials.
The US Coast Guard conveyed in a brief Twitter update that the data collected by the P-3 aircraft has been shared with US Navy experts for further analysis, which will be taken into consideration for future search plans.
Richard Garriott, the president of The Explorers Club, released a statement expressing optimism due to the banging sounds, indicating a “much greater confidence” in locating the missing vessel. He mentioned that data collected from the field suggests signs of potential life at the site.
Despite ongoing efforts to determine the source of the banging sounds, rescuers are confident that they originated from the same area in Newfoundland waters where the Titan and its crew of five vanished on Sunday morning.
During the submersible’s 8-hour journey, it lost contact with its support ship after one hour and 45 minutes. Those on board included Stockton Rush, the founder and CEO of OceanGate Expeditions, French Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet, British billionaire Hamish Harding, and Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son. Nargeolet and Harding are both members of The Explorers Society.
The US Coast Guard stated on Tuesday afternoon that the crew likely had only 41 hours of breathable oxygen remaining.
If the rescue mission proves successful, it would be considered the deepest mission ever conducted.
{Matzav.com}
