Underwater noise heard during frantic search for missing submarine with five people near Titanic – Wake-up call
By Patrick Whittle and Holly Reimer (Associated Press)
Canadian military surveillance aircraft detected underwater noise early Wednesday morning as a large-scale search for the missing submarine with five people on board the Titanic took place in a remote North Atlantic Ocean early Wednesday morning. .
The U.S. Coast Guard statement didn’t elaborate on how rescuers believed the noise was likely, but Titan would have only a day’s supply of oxygen left in an accident. Because it is estimated to be, it gave a ray of hope to those who were in distress on the Titan. still working.
Three ships, including the John Cabot, arrived at the scene Wednesday morning, according to a Coast Guard tweet, some of which have sidescan sonar capabilities, and two other ships, the Scandi Vinland. And the Atlantic Marlin are said to be conducting search operations alongside each other.
Meanwhile, how was the research team able to reach the lost submersible, which may be about 12,500 feet (3,800 meters) below the surface near the historic ocean liner’s water grave? Doubts remain as to whether The newly uncovered allegations also suggest that serious warnings about the ship’s safety were made during its development.
Missing on board is Stockton Rush, the pilot and CEO of the company that leads the expedition. His passengers are a British adventurer, two Pakistani businessmen and a Titanic expert.
The Coast Guard tweeted that a Canadian P-3 Orion “detected underwater noise in the search area.” After that, the searchers moved the underwater robot to the area and searched. However, these searches “have yielded negative results, but are continuing.”
“Data from the P-3 aircraft has been shared with U.S. Navy experts for further analysis to be considered in future search plans,” the Coast Guard said.
The Coast Guard statement came after Rolling Stone cited what it said was an internal U.S. Department of Homeland Security email about the search, saying the team had heard “bangs in the area every half hour.”
In underwater hazards, crews unable to communicate with the surface rely on tapping the submarine’s hull for sonar detection. But no official has publicly hinted at that fact, and underwater noise can come from a variety of sources.
But the news gave hope to some, including Explorers Club president Richard Garriott de Cailleux. After sending an open letter to the club’s adventurers, including the missing British man and Titan experts, and speaking to Congressional, U.S. military and White House officials about the Titan, he wrote: “More confidence. “I got it.” search.
A spokesman for the U.S. Air Mobility Command said three U.S. military C-17 transport aircraft were used to move commercial submarines and support equipment from Buffalo, New York, to St. John’s, Newfoundland, in support of the search. announced.
The Canadian military announced that it provided a patrol aircraft and two surface ships, including a specialized submersible medical vessel. A sonar buoy was also dropped to hear sounds from Titan.
Rescuers continue to race against time as the ship could run out of oxygen by Thursday morning even under the best of circumstances.
In addition to the international deployment of ships and aircraft, underwater robots have begun searching the Titanic’s vicinity, and there have been moves to deliver recovery equipment to the scene in case the submarine is spotted.
Authorities said the carbon fiber vessel passed its estimated arrival date on Sunday night and launched a search in waters about 435 miles (700 km) south of St. John’s.
Oceangate Expedition Advisor David Concannon, who oversaw the mission, said the submarine had enough oxygen for four days when it set sail around 6 a.m. Sunday.
CBS News journalist David Pogue, who visited the Titanic last year aboard the Titan, said the ship uses two communications systems. One is text messages sent to and from surface ships, and the other is a safety pin that goes off every 15 minutes to indicate the safety of the submarine. still working
Both of these systems shut down approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes after Titan sank.
“It means only two things: Either you lose all power, or the hull cracks and explodes instantly. Both are catastrophically hopeless,” Pogue said on Tuesday. told Canada’s CBC network.
The submarine was equipped with seven back-up systems to return to the ground, including falling sandbags, lead pipes and inflatable balloons. One system is designed to work even if the entire crew is unconscious, Pogue said.
Titan passenger Aaron Newman told NBC’s “Today” Wednesday that passengers would be pitch black and cold if the submarine was less than a few hundred meters deep and had no power.
“It was cold when we were on the bottom,” he said. “You were wearing layers. You were wearing a woolen hat, and you were doing everything to keep your bottom warm.”
Meanwhile, the documents warned Oceangate that the way it developed the test ship could pose a catastrophic safety hazard.
In a 2018 lawsuit, Oceangate’s director of marine operations, David Lockridge, said the company’s testing and certification was inadequate and “could put passengers at extreme risk on board the experimental submersible.”
The company argued that Rotchridge “is not an engineer and was not hired or asked to perform engineering services on Titan.” The company also said the ship in development is a prototype and not the currently missing Titan.
The Marine Technology Institute, which describes itself as a “professional group of marine engineers, engineers, policy makers and educators,” also expressed concerns in a letter to Oceangate CEO Rush that same year. . The association said it was important for the company to submit prototypes to tests supervised by third-party experts before launch to protect passengers. The New York Times was the first to report on these documents.
The search for missing ships has attracted international attention. In Dubai, where the missing British adventurer Hamish Harding lives, Crown Prince Hamadan bin Mohamed Al Maktoum said: “Dubai and its people wish a safe and hopeful return home.” wrote.
Also on board is Shazada Dawood, a Pakistani national, and his son Suleman, whose eponymous company has investments across the country. In the Pakistani port city of Karachi, his company’s employees, as well as government officials, said they wished them a safe return. French explorer and Titanic expert Paul-Henry Narjolet was also on board.
Newman, a former Titan passenger, said it was a mistake to describe Harding and Nargeroth as “tourists.”
“These are people who lived on the edge of a cliff and loved what they were doing. We are,” Newman said, adding that he felt safe during the descent because it was in expert hands. “It’s a nice group of people.”
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Associated Press reporter John Gambrel of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Mounir Ahmed of Islamabad contributed to the report.
https://www.mcall.com/2023/06/21/underwater-noises-heard-in-desperate-search-for-submersible-missing-with-5-aboard-near-titanic/ Underwater noise heard during frantic search for missing submarine with five people near Titanic – Wake-up call