Capt Jamie Frederick of the US Coast Guard told a briefing at 6pm UK time that "several flights" of Canadian P-3 aircraft had heard the noises, reported by several US media outlets as "banging", both on Tuesday and yesterday, and that the search had refocused on that area.
The Titan's crew, if they are still alive, are down to their last few hours of breathable air, with the vessel's initial 96-hour supply of oxygen expected to expire today at around 11am UK time. Recovering the Titan and bringing its crew to safety in time using the latest advanced deepsea rescue equipment would be an extremely difficult task, David Marquet, a former US navy submarine commander, told CBC.
Even if the Titan is located, a successful rescue would require remotely operated vehicles (ROVS) capable of allowing operators on the surface a clear view of the submersible's location, any obstacles that may be present and where to attach cables capable of lifting it thousands of metres through the water.
If the Titan and its five-person crew did arrive at the Titanic wreck, they will be located 3,800 metres below the surface on the seabed - too deep for most ROVs to reach. Only a "tiny percentage of the world's submarines operate that deeply", Marquet said.
This story is from the June 22, 2023 edition of The Guardian.
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This story is from the June 22, 2023 edition of The Guardian.
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