Hope rises as ‘signs of life’ detected near site of missing Titanic submersible

During the search for a submersible that went missing on Sunday while exploring the century-old wreck of the Titanic, Canadian aircraft detected underwater noises, according to the US Coast Guard.

The mini-sub, which was designed to remain underwater for 96 hours, had five people on board, and their air supply is expected to run out by Thursday morning if the craft is still intact.

The US Coast Guard's First District announced on Twitter: “Canadian P-3 aircraft detected underwater noises in the search area. As a result, ROV (remotely operated vehicle) operations were relocated in an attempt to explore the origin of the noises.”

Despite extensive ROV searches, no results have been obtained thus far, but efforts will continue.

The data collected by the Canadian aircraft has been shared with US Navy experts to inform future search plans.

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Although the nature of the sounds has not been specified by the coastguard, CNN and Rolling Stone magazine, referring to internal US government communications, independently reported that "banging" sounds were heard at 30-minute intervals.

Among the three fee-paying passengers on the submersible were British billionaire Hamish Harding, Pakistani-born businessman Shahzada Dawood, and his son Suleman. The submersible was part of a tourist expedition that costs $250,000 per person.

‘Probably stuck on something’

Colonel Terry Virts, a former US pilot, and friend of Mr. Harding, expressed optimism upon hearing the reports of banging noises.

“That’s the news I’ve been looking forward to all day long and that is during the search they’ve heard some banging on the walls of the submersible.”

Colonel Virts stated, “I was talking to someone who was on the sub last year and really the only emergency you can handle is a fire. Everything else you go to the surface and the sub has a bunch of ways to get to the surface. You can drop a bunch of weights and that should make it go up, There’s apparently some type of balloon system. I’m not exactly sure.”

Colonel described Mr. Harding as a quintessential British explorer and mentioned that the vessel's design is relatively simple, with few potential points of failure. However, if the emergency systems onboard failed, it is possible that the submersible is “probably stuck one something,” such as under the Titanic wreck.

Search efforts have been intensified, with an international array of ships and planes involved in the operation.

An underwater robot has been deployed near the Titanic, and salvage equipment is being prepared in case the submersible is found. The Pentagon has deployed additional aircraft, while France's oceanographic institute is sending a deep-sea underwater robot and experts to assist in the search.

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The carbon-fiber vessel was reported overdue on Sunday night, triggering the search in waters approximately 700 kilometers south of St John’s. Pilot Stockton Rush, the CEO of the company leading the expedition, was in command of the submersible.

‘Signs of life’

Richard Garriott de Cayeux, the president of the New York-based Explorers Club, released a statement on the situation via Twitter, expressing renewed optimism.

He stated, "Data from the field—we understand that likely signs of life have been detected at the site…. We await hopefully good news.” Garriott de Cayeux's words reflect the anticipation and longing for positive developments in the ongoing search and rescue efforts.

The safety of the submersible has been a matter of concern, as a former employee of OceanGate, the company behind the expedition, raised issues about its safety in 2018.

An engineering report indicated the need for further testing and potential risks to passengers at extreme depths. The lawsuit between OceanGate and the former employee was settled on undisclosed terms.

‘Praying for a miracle’

David Mearns, a specialist in shipwreck searches who knows Mr. Harding professionally, described the situation as a "nightmare" for everyone involved.

Despite the arrival of a new ship equipped for rescue operations, Mearns acknowledged the difficulty of the task at hand, emphasizing the need to focus on recovery efforts.

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“If they’re still alive that is a possibility and we are praying for a miracle. That could be the miracle,” he expressed.

As the search continues, hopes are high for a successful rescue operation, but the challenges of reaching the submersible in the deep ocean depths remain daunting. The priority now is to recover the submersible and ensure the safety of its occupants.

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