Titanic Submarine Update: 'Underwater Noises' Heard as Search for Missing Vessel Continues

Underwater noises have been reported in a remote part of the North Atlantic Ocean as the search for the missing Titanic submarine continues as of Wednesday, June 21.

The said 'Titanic submersible' went missing when it lost communication with the mainland over the weekend. The mysterious disappearance of the vessel occurred hundreds of miles from where it departed in Canada's Newfoundland province.

Latest reports describe the apparent anomaly or signal as "banging noises" deemed as a potential sound coming from the missing Titanic tourist vessel. The said noises prompted a change of coverage of the initial search operation, which focused near the Titanic wreckage, hundreds of miles off the Canadian province.

The submarine is used for commercial purposes that allow its passengers to witness a never-before-seen view of the Titanic wreck. The "world's largest ship" ever built previously deemed as unsinkable plunged into the depths of the North Atlantic 12,500 feet below the sea over 100 years ago after hitting an iceberg. It was only last year when an underwater scan of the doomed ship was revealed.

This article serves as an update of the story also covered by Nature World News earlier this week.

Titanic Submarine Update

(Photo : Image by StockSnap from Pixabay)
A stock photo of the ocean. A Titanic submersible went missing on June 19, prompting Canadian and U.S. marine authorities to carry out a widespread search operation of the Atlantic Ocean.

Banging noises in the area near the Titanic wreckage are the latest update about the missing Titanic exploration submarine. A P-3 plane belonging to Canada used sonar buoys when it heard the underwater sounds, which U.S. Navy experts are currently analyzing, the BBC reported.

In the report, search crews have been attempting to trace the source of the noise but to no avail even as of Wednesday morning. Experts have also suspected that the submarine lost its power that adds to the challenges of finding it. U.S. and Canadian authorities are also concerned that time is running out as the available oxygen inside the vessel is diminishing.

Also Read: 1996 Titanic Dive Leaves Researchers with Mysterious Sonar Blip that Remained Undefined Until 26 Years Later

Submarine Oxygen Depletion

During a Wednesday interview by CBS Mornings, the Coast Guard's Rear Admiral John Mauger stated the search site where the Titanic exploration vessel went missing is complex due also to the presence of metal objects in the waters, CBS News reported.

Mauger said the said submarine's oxygen capacity while submerged underwater is only good for approximately a week. This capacity is in addition to the '96-hour emergency oxygen sustainment capability' should urgent incidents occur aboard, as cited by the U.S. media outlet.

Titanic Exploration Tourism

Since the rediscovery of the Titanic wreckage in 1985 through underwater footage, interest regarding it as the ship's resting place has grown in the succeeding decades, some for scientific, historical, and recreational purposes.

Ocean Gate Expeditions, which owns the missing Titanic submarine called Polar Prince, allows people to experience the wreckage firsthand. The vessel was part of an eight-day trip after departing in Newfoundland's capital city of St. John's.

The said company has organized more than a dozen underwater Titanic expeditions since 2010, the Washington Post reported.