Credit: OceanGate Expeditions/Handout via Portal
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Undated photo of the Titan submarine used by the OceanGate company on the Titanic wreck visit expedition
June 20, 2023 at 10:15 p.m. 03
Updated 2 hours ago
Rescue teams are in a race against time to find a tourist submarine meant to visit the Titanic wreck but which has been missing with five people on board since Sunday (18).
Two US media outlets have reported on a leaked internal memo sent to the US Department of Homeland Security saying that a Canadian plane picked up “knocking noises” from the search area every 30 minutes underwater.
“The P8 [aeronave canadense] Every 30 minutes we heard popping noises in the area. Additional sonar was deployed four hours later and knocking noises could still be heard,” reported Rolling Stone magazine.
CNN also reported an internal update sent out Tuesday night suggesting more noise was picked up.
“Additional audio feedback has been heard and will aid in the vectorization of surface resources and also indicate that survivors remain hopeful,” the second memo said, according to a CNN report.
An hour after the media reports, the US Coast Guard confirmed that a Canadian search plane had registered “underwater noise”.
How do rescue teams work to find a ship that’s been missing for two days? Which devices are used for this? How far away is the point where the submarine disappeared into the Atlantic?
We answer these questions with the help of visual aids.
Where are the searches taking place?
The crew of the Titan submarine lost contact with their surface vessel, the Polar Prince, Sunday (18) an hour and 45 minutes after beginning the descent to the wreck of the Titanic.
The wreck of the Titanic lies about 700km south of the city of St. John’s in Canada, although the rescue mission is being conducted from Boston in the United States.
U.S. and Canadian government agencies, militaries and deepwater companies are helping the rescue with military aircraft, a submarine and sonobuoys.
The Polar Prince is being supported in the region by the cablelaying ship Deep Energy, while the supply ship Atlantic Merlin is underway.
U.S. Coast Guard Captain Jamie Frederick said U.S. and Canadian teams worked “around the clock” during the “complex search effort.”
Professor Alistair Greig, an expert on submarines at University College London, says one of the big problems is that rescuers don’t know whether to look at the sea surface or the sea floor it’s “very unlikely” that the U Boot is in the way, he says. , adding that each of these points (surface or seabed) brings its own challenges.
surface search
According to the US Coast Guard (USCG, abbreviation in English), the ship Polar Prince carried out surface searches on Monday night (19).
United States and Canadian C130 Hercules aircraft also participated in surface searches, attempting to spot the submarine from the air.
The USCG claimed 7,600 square miles were searched.
Frank Owen, former head of Australia’s underwater rescue project, told the BBC the missing ship could call for rescuers when it surfaced.
“There are radio transmitters, GPS signals,” he says. “There will be flashing lights and radar reflectors to help search teams find them.”
If for some reason the submarine is unable to send these signals, the situation would be more complicated.
“[O submarino] It’s the size of a large land vehicle and it’s white, so I’m trying to see it from the air…” says Owen, showing little enthusiasm for the option.
Unstable weather and poor visibility are already challenges that teams on the ground face.
deep sea search
Rescue workers also have to search for the 6.7 m long submarine at depths that can be as much as almost 4 km.
This must be done in part because radio and GPS signals cannot travel through water.
The US Coast Guard confirmed on Tuesday that it would expand the search to deeper waters. Sonobuoys are also placed on site.
These objects detect and identify moving objects in the water and are often used when hunting enemy submarines.
They detect sounds generated by propellers, engines and the crew themselves, which eventually hit the submarine’s hull (passive detection). Active detection, on the other hand, consists of the sonobuoy itself making a noise and checking the echo.
Owen warns that finding the sub underwater will be very difficult due to its size and the fact that it may be under the wreckage of the Titanic.
“It’s like looking for a mine in a minefield,” he told the BBC, citing the difficulty of distinguishing the submarine from the wreckage of the liner that sank in the last century.
What would the rescue look like if the submarine is on the seabed?
If crews fail to locate or surface the submarine, they will need to seek more expert advice from the US Navy and private sector, according to US Coast Guard Rear Admiral John Mauger.
According to operator OceanGate, the Titan is one of five manned submersibles worldwide capable of reaching the 3,800 meter deep Titanic.
If the Titan is at the bottom of the sea and unable to return under its own power, Greig says the options are very limited.
“While the submarine may still be intact if it’s deeper than 200m, there are very few ships that can dive that deep. Divers certainly cannot. Depth of the Titanic.”
Any attempt to search the seabed in this area would likely be attempted by an unmanned remotely operated vehicle (ROV).
The Deep Energy vessel, which arrived at the site Tuesday, has commissioned at least one ROV, but it’s unclear if it can reach the required depths. Other ships equipped with ROVs are underway.
The US Navy has an ROV capable of operating at that depth and used it to recover a downed fighter jet from a depth of 12,000 feet (3,780 m) in the South China Sea last year.
Ocean rescue expert David Mearns says if an ROV can locate the Titan, it can recover it.
“A topoftheline ROV with dual controls can really make an impact [o Titan] Or attach a hoist line and slowly pull it to the surface,” Mearns adds.
How is the submarine doing and what emergency procedures does it have?
Last year, CBS journalist David Pogue took part in an OceanGate expedition to Titanic and learned that the submarine has seven safety systems to help it return to the surface. Are you:
- Triple Weights: Three lead pipes that can be released by hydraulic mechanisms to make the submarine levitate more.
- Rolling weights: If the hydraulics fail, people inside the sub can tilt the sub by moving to a specific point and releasing rolling weights.
- Sacks of Heavy Material: The engines can unleash sacks filled with metal shot positioned under the submarine.
- Fuse links: Connections that disengage after 16 hours at sea and have the function of releasing the shot bags should the electrical and hydraulic systems fail.
- Propellers: designed to propel the ship to the surface.
- Submarine “Legs”: The pilot can eject the submarine’s legs to relieve weight.
- Airbags: The crew can also inflate airbags to gain buoyancy