Updated 1:15 p.m. EST — During a press conference on Wednesday, Captain Jameie Frederick of the U.S. Coast Guard shared that the submersible vessel that was visiting the wreckage of the Titanic is still missing, despite search and rescue teams discovering noises.
While the noises, which were occurring in 30-minute intervals, have not produced results as of this moment, Frederick says that they have redirected search and rescue resources to the area where the noises were heard.
“We don’t know what [the noises] are, to be frank with you,” Frederick said.
Frederick shared that the search and rescue teams have been in constant contact with the families of those missing.
“We remain in close contact with the family members of the crew and passengers,” Frederick said.
Frederick praised the coordination between the U.S. Coast Guard and other foreign entities like the Canadian Coast Guard of the “incredibly complex search operation.”
Frederick clarified during questioning at the press conference that they continue to have hope they will find the missing vessel and crew.
“This is a search and rescue mission, 100%,” Frederick said.
Original post — Two days after the last contact with the five people aboard the submersible touring the Titanic wreck, Commander Rear Adm. John Mauger of the U.S. Coast Guard updated the public with something astonishing: Banging noises were detected by sonobuoys in the ocean.
“We don’t know the source of that noise, but we’ve shared that information with Navy experts to classify it,” Mauger said, speaking with “CBS This Morning.”
The noise that Mauger was referring to was a reported banging sound being detected by sonar technology. The banging was rhythmic, occurring in 30-minute intervals, according to an internal government memo, CNN reported.
The sounds were detected near the wreckage of the Titanic, and for four hours after additional sonar devices were deployed the sound was still being detected.
However, it still isn’t clear what the banging was, when it was heard, or for how long.
Mauger shared that the area is an “incredibly complex site” when asked how common it was to pick up noises.
“There is a lot of metal and different objects in the water around this site,” he said, discussing the Titanic’s resting place. “That’s why it’s so important that we’ve engaged experts from the Navy that understand the science behind noise and can classify or give us better information about what the source of that noise may be.”
The search for the submarine continues, and the international unified command involved in the search efforts has “reprioritized the two remote operated vehicles that we have searching in the water and the one surface vessel that has sonar capability on the surface of the water in the area of those noises to see if we can locate the source of those noises and locate the people on the submersible,” Mauger said.
Even with time running out, Mauger isn’t giving up hope of finding the submarine.
“As long as there’s an opportunity for survival, we will continue to work with this broad unified command to bring every resource to bear on the search,” he said.
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