A sonar picks up "knocking sounds": continues the search for the submersible that was looking for the remains of the Titanic

Last Sunday the submersible Titan, operated by OceanGate Expeditions, began the dive in search of the remains of the Titanic. An hour and 45 minutes later the signal was lost and the submersible disappeared. This vehicle could end up becoming a moral trap for millionaires, but the search continues, and in the last few hours there have been news.

“Sounds of Knocking”. In Rolling Stone They have had access to an internal document from the US government in which news about the search is given. In said report it is revealed that on Tuesday a sonar received “sounds of blows” underwater in the area where the search was being carried out. The data was collected by a Canadian Boeing P8 Poseidon aircraft, which has these underwater signal detection sensors.”

hopes. The crews of the ships that received those signals received them every 30 minutes, and four hours later, after deploying new devices, those knocks were still being heard. It’s unclear when exactly these thumps were heard and for how long, but an update to the report noted that these sounds “will help vectorize surface assets and also indicates there is still hope for survivors.”

A complex rescue. That report discussed how they were trying to find a remotely operated vehicle that could help in the search and rescue mission. US Navy submarines only go to a depth of 600m (operating depth is 300m), but the wreckage of the Titanic is at 4,000m, so some kind of remotely operated underwater drone is needed for that task. At a depth of 1,000 meters, sunlight stops penetrating and therefore darkness is practically total.

sight aid. The president of the Explorers Society organization —two of its members were traveling aboard the Titan— sent an email to Rolling Stone indicating that there was a possible vehicle for that rescue. “A team from the UK called Magellan has a ROV set up for 6,000 meters that is loaded on a plane and ready to help, but the US government and the USCG have not yet given them permission to participate, “they explained. The Boston Coast Guard has not provided details about the ROVs (Remotely Operated Vehicles , remotely operated vehicles) being used in the mission or how deep they can descend.

object in the water. That aircraft also detected a “rectangular white object” and that one of the search boats initially went to investigate that object, but was “diverted” to investigate those knocking sounds instead.

Time is running out. The Titan has a reserve of 96 hours of air, but it is not known exactly how much may remain. A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official told Rolling Stone that there were about 40 hours remaining at that point, adding that “the situation looks grim,” adding that they believed the sounds were coming from the submersible. In the Financial Times indicated an hour ago the remaining supply is currently about 30 hours. Approximately Thursday at noon (mainland Spain time) the air will run out according to those forecasts.

Image | Ocean Gate Expeditions

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