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Noises heard again in search area of missing Titanic submersible

Officials haven't been able to pinpoint where the noises came from. Meanwhile, emergency oxygen is expected to run out by Thursday morning.
Posted at 6:55 AM, Jun 21, 2023

The U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday afternoon that underwater noises were again detected Wednesday morning in the search area of the missing Titan submersible last seen on Sunday. 

The Coast Guard said the sounds were first detected by a Canadian P-3 aircraft on Tuesday. The Coast Guard deployed underwater ROV operations in an attempt to "explore the origin of the noises." 

Those searches yielded negative results, the Coast Guard said Wednesday afternoon; however, ROV operations will continue in the area. 

"They're still looking at it, but I can tell you that it's inconclusive," said Capt. Jamie Frederick of the U.S. Coast Guard.

U.S. and Canadian officials have joined OceanGate in the search for Titan, which entered the waters of the Atlantic Ocean early Sunday. The submersible was headed down to a depth of over 12,000 feet to explore the Titanic shipwreck when it lost communication about an hour and 45 minutes into the trip. 

Frederick said additional resources are scheduled to arrive to assist in the search for Titan.

"We hope that when we're able to get additional ROVs, which will be there in the morning," Frederick said. "The intent will be to continue to search in those areas where the noises were detected and if they're continuing to be detected, and then put additional ROVs down in the last known position where the search was originally taking place."

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Frederick said there is enough oxygen in Titan to survive for 96 hours. Frederick said he would expect the submersible to run out of oxygen by Thursday morning, if it remains intact. 

There were five people inside Titan, including OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush. 

"Our crews are working around the clock to ensure that we are doing everything possible to locate the Titan and the five crew members," Frederick said. 

As of Wednesday, officials have searched an area over two times the size of Connecticut. Frederick said on Wednesday that the mission remains a search and rescue. 

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