Searchers for Titanic Tourist Sub Heard ‘Banging’ From Area, Internal Comms Reveal

A CANADIAN AIRCRAFT searching for the missing Titan submersible, which failed to return Sunday from an expedition to the wreckage of the Titanic, detected “banging” in 30-minute intervals coming from the area the divers disappeared, according to internal e-mail updates sent by the Department of Homeland Security’s National Operations Center obtained by Rolling Stone. 

“RCC Halifax launched a P8, Poseidon, which has underwater detection capabilities from the air,” the DHS e-mails 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 announcement did not state what time the banging was heard, or what was thought to have caused it.

The announcement also stated that “the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre is working to find an underwater remote-operated vehicle through partner organizations to possibly assist.” Previous reports on the search for the missing submersible have stated that the Navy’s manned rescue craft can only descend about 2,000 feet underwater, and that if the divers were discovered closer to the approximate 13,000 foot depth of the Titanic wreckage, an underwater drone, or remote-operated vehicle, would be necessary to reach them.