Sonar technology has picked up “banging sounds” from underneath the water while searching for the submersible that went missing on a dive to the Titanic shipwreck, according to an internal US government memo.
Operated by OceanGate, the vessel, named Titan, has five people on board – including a British billionaire and a British-Pakistani father and son.
It was unclear when the banging was heard on Tuesday or for how long, based on the memo, which was obtained by CNN.
A later update sent on Tuesday night suggested more sounds were heard, though it was not described as “banging.”
“Additional acoustic feedback was heard and will assist in vectoring surface assets and also indicating continued hope of survivors,” the update read.
Rescuers searching for the submersible which went missing while on a voyage to the Titanic shipwreck and it is estimated that there was only “40 hours of breathable air” left onboard on Tuesday – which is enough to last until 10am BST on Thursday.
A Canadian P3 aircraft also located a white rectangular object in the water, but another ship set to investigate was diverted to help research the acoustic feedback instead, according to the update.
The US Coast Guard said underwater noises were detected by the Canadian aircraft, prompting the relocation of resources to explore their origin, but “searches have yielded negative results,” the agency tweeted.
“Additionally, the data from the P-3 aircraft has been shared with our US Navy experts for further analysis which will be considered in future search plans,” they added.
OceanGate told CNN they have no information to share on this when reached for comment.
The report comes amid a multinational race against time to find the submersible and its five passengers before their oxygen runs out.
As the massive search stretched into its third day, more ships and aircraft have joined the mission.
Hamish Harding, a 58-year-old British billionaire and chairman of Dubai-based firm Action Aviation, is one of the missing crew.
A friend of Mr Harding described him as “the quintessential British explorer”.
Colonel Terry Virts said: “Some people watch Netflix and some people play golf, and Hamish goes to the bottom of the ocean or into space or, you know, he sets world records flying around the planet…he loves adventure.
“I don’t think Hamish is an adrenaline junkie at all, that’s not Hamish.
“He likes exploration. And, you know, exploration involves risk, but he’s also very methodical about it.”
The submersible was carrying one pilot and four “mission specialists”, including Mr Harding, when it lost contact with its mother ship about 1 hour and 45 minutes into its descent.
Chris Parry, a retired navy rear admiral from the UK, said without an “emitting signal” from the missing deep-sea vessel, it will be “impossible” to find in the timescale.
He told LBC: “I’m afraid the odds are vanishingly small.
“Obviously, we want to remain hopeful and optimistic but there are two problems here – one is actually finding the thing and secondly is how on earth are you going to get it off the seabed.
“It’s never been done before and I don’t think anybody’s got any ideas about how to do it at the moment.”
He added: “You’ve got this vastly complex seabed with all the debris of the Titanic, you’ve got hills and canyons and everything, and I’m afraid to say without an emitting signal from the vehicle itself it’s almost, well, I’d say it’s impossible to find in the timescale.”
A spokesperson for the US Navy said the military branch is sending subject matter experts and a “Flyaway Deep Ocean Salvage System” to help in the rescue mission.
The system has the capacity to lift and recover large, bulky and heavy undersea objects, like the small submersible.
The fleet of assets joining the operation include a Canadian pipe-laying vessel with underwater capabilities, along with other vessels and aircraft.
The international search and rescue operation is “doing everything possible” as part of a “complex search effort” but has so far “not yielded any results,” US Coast Guard Captain Jamie Frederick told reporters on Tuesday.
The “unique” and “challenging” search effort has brought together “our nations’ best experts,” he said.
The search zone covers an area about 900 miles east of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and 13,000 feet deep.
