U.S. and Canadian search crews involved in the quest to locate a small vessel that disappeared two days ago while on a dive to the Titanic wreckage site have reported detecting underwater noises in the North Atlantic Ocean. The U.S. Coast Guard announced this development early Wednesday, raising hopes for a potential breakthrough in the search efforts.
According to the Coast Guard, a Canadian aircraft operating in the search area picked up the sounds beneath the water’s surface. In response, remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) were deployed to investigate the origin of these noises. However, despite extensive searches by the ROVs, no positive findings have been reported thus far. The Coast Guard stated that the ROV searches continue, and the data collected by the P-3 aircraft has been handed over to U.S. Navy experts for further analysis.
With concerns mounting over the remaining oxygen supply, search efforts were intensified by U.S. and Canadian ships and aircraft on Tuesday. The Coast Guard disclosed that approximately 10,000 square miles had already been searched as of Tuesday morning. The submersible, known as the Titan, was reported to have around 40 hours of breathable air left by 1 p.m. ET Tuesday, indicating that its oxygen supply might run out by Thursday morning.
The discovery of underwater noises offers a glimmer of hope in the ongoing search for the missing vessel and its five occupants. The joint U.S.-Canadian operation remains committed to exhaustively exploring all available leads and continues to evaluate future search plans based on the analysis of data and expert input.