Canadian aircraft heard underwater noises twice in search for missing Titanic sub
The search continues for the Titanic tour submersible that’s been missing since Sunday, and authorities said that a Canadian military surveillance aircraft detected underwater noises twice.
The aircraft first heard noises on Tuesday and again on Wednesday morning, prompting authorities to focus their search.
“The data from the P3 aircraft has been shared with our US Navy experts for further analysis which will be considered in future search plans,” said Captain Jamie Frederick, the First Coast Guard District response coordinator, during a press conference on Wednesday, June 21.
He added, “With respect to the noises specifically… we don’t know what they are.”
The US Coast Guard is working with the Canadian Coast Guard and the Canadian Armed Forces. French and British authorities have joined the search and will be sending in experts and equipment. Search and rescue operations have relocated to St. John’s in Newfoundland.
On June 20, the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) of Halifax stated that two Canadian Coast Guard Ships were en route and that an aircraft has been tasked to do an aerial search.
Both vessels are on standby, loading search and rescue equipment and personnel should assistance be required
MRCC Boston retains the lead for all search coordination, and can be reached at [email protected] for further information. pic.twitter.com/f3S8jdIbNs
— Halifax JRCC CCCOS (@hfxjrcc) June 20, 2023
“The surface search is now approximately two times the size of Connecticut, the sub-surface search is up to 2.5 miles deep (4 km), exponentially increasing the size of the search area,” said Frederick. “You also have to factor in the ever-changing weather conditions currents.”
The missing vessel, called the Titan, is owned by an Everett, Washington-based company called OceanGate. The Titan can travel at speeds of up to three knots and reach depths of up to 4,000 meters (13,123 feet) and is used to tour the Titanic’s wreckage site for US$250,000 per person. NBC News reports that as of Tuesday, June 20, at 1 pm ET, the vessel only had 41 hours of oxygen left.
OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, Shahzada Dawood, Hamish Harding, and Paul-Henry Nargeolet. (OceanGate | Dawood Foundation | Action Aviation | LinkedIn)
The five people on board include British businessman Shahzada Dawood, 48, and his son Suleman, 19. The father and son had spent a month in Canada before boarding the sub.
British adventurer and billionaire Hamish Harding, 58, OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, and former French Navy diver Paul-Henry Nargeolet, 77, are among those missing.
“When you’re in the middle of a search and rescue case, you always have hope,” said Frederick. “That’s why we’re continuing to do what we do.”