A former Australian submarine officer who now works as a search-and-rescue director reckons the pattern of “banging” sounds picked up by a search party for the OceanGate submersible that went missing while en route to the Titanic wreckage is actually the five passengers calling for help.
Frank Owen spoke to the New York Post about Titan, the name of the submersible that failed to return from a deepsea tourist expedition on Sunday, and said the noises were actually created in a pattern that is recognisable to submarine personnel.
“This tells me a huge amount,” he said, referring to the banging noises which could be heard coming from the ocean in 30 minute intervals.
“Onboard the Titan is the French former Navy diver, the Titanic expert [Paul-Henri Nargeolet]. But also because he’s a diver, he understands the way search forces look for submarines that are lost.”
Owen said that submariners are “taught that if they’re stuck in a disabled submarine, on the hour and the half-hour they bang the hull for three minutes, then they stop. They don’t make any more noise.”
“So the fact that we’re hearing banging at 30-minute internals tells me that the people inside are sending a message that says, ‘We understand that you would be looking for us and this is how you might expect us to react’,” he continued.
“So it’s very encouraging.”
Owen’s speculations come as a French deep-sea pipe-laying vessel was deployed to assist the search for the missing Titanic-bound submersible. However, it’s roving deep-sea vehicle can only withstand depths of “up to 10,00- feet” (a little over 3 kilometres), which is still roughly 750 metres above where the Titanic wreck sits.
The submersible now has less than 10 hours of breathable air left.
The frantic search for the missing submersible reached new heights on Wednesday afternoon after The Explorers Club, a group involved in the search, revealed in a statement that there was “cause for hope” that the five crew members aboard the watercraft may still be found alive on the following grounds.
“1) We understand that likely signs of life have been detected at the site,” they said in the statement.
“2) They precisely understand the experienced personnel and tech we can help deploy.
“3) We believe they are doing everything possible with all resources they have.
“4) We now have direct lines to the highest levels of Congress, The Coast Guard, Air Force, Navy and The White House.”
The noises, which as we mentioned earlier came at 30-minute intervals, were picked up by a Canadian aircraft that was part of the search.
“RCC Halifax launched a P8, Poseidon, which has underwater detection capabilities from the air,” the leaked emails read.
“The P8 deployed sonobuoys, which reported a contact in a position close to the distress position. The P8 heard banging sounds in the area every 30 minutes. Four hours later additional sonar was deployed and banging was still heard.”
The emails didn’t say what time the banging was heard though, or if it was suspected that the crew was responsible for the noises. Owen’s speculations have not been confirmed by authorities.
However, the US Coast Guard did confirm that search efforts had been relocated as a result of the noises being heard, per SMH.
ICYMI, a pilot and four passengers — including a teenager — set out on a voyage to view the Titanic wreck in a submersible called Titan on Sunday morning. The expedition was facilitated by a company called OceanGate, which specialises in deploying tourist submersibles for deep-sea expeditions (a submersible is a vessel pretty similar to a submarine but needs a mother ship to leave and return to port).
OceanGate lost comms with the sub only an hour and 45 minutes after its dive began — something that has actually happened before.
When Titan set out, OceanGate advisor David Concannon told reporters that the sub had a 96-hour oxygen supply.
This has been almost used up.
We’ll update you when we know more.