Rumors guide search for missing submarine near Titanic | TV5MONDE

ONLY ONE DAY OF OXYGEN LEFT: The race against time to find the five alive occupants of the submarine who left to explore the wreck of the Titanic is gathering pace Wednesday in the North Atlantic, as picked up noises raise hope for a fleet of submarine rescuers dispatched to the scene.

Supplies of breathable air are expected to run out Thursday aboard Titan, a small deep-sea explorer owned by the private company OceanGate.

And the US authorities confirmed, during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday, that there had been the first significant progress in the field of research since the alarm went off on Sunday evening.

“A Canadian P-3 aircraft detected an underwater noise in the search area. As a result, ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) operations have been moved to try to investigate the source of the noise,” wrote the US Coast Guard in Boston, which is coordinating on Twitter. Searches.

According to the American press, it was heard “every 30 minutes.”

“We don’t know where that noise is coming from,” Admiral John Mauger of the US Coast Guard told CBS Wednesday morning.

“too complicated”

The head of the guards added that two robots and a ship equipped with sonar devices were deployed in the area where the noise was detected “to see if we can determine the source of this noise and identify the people in the submarine.”

A French research vessel with its robot capable of diving should also be deployed to the wreck of the Titanic, which lies at a depth of nearly 4,000 metres.

Early Wednesday, the US Coast Guard announced the arrival of three new ships at the site.

“We’re in a very complicated position,” Admiral Mauger recalled, with the wreck of the Titanic. He added, “There are a lot of different minerals and bodies in the water out there, so marine experts were called in to ‘understand the science behind this noise.'”

“In the meantime, it’s a goal,” he asserts. “As long as there is a possibility of survival, we will continue to work,” he added.

security complaint

An American, a Frenchman, a Briton, two Pakistanis and two Britons plunged into the abyss on Sunday aboard the submarine Titan, a submarine designed for five people and about 6.5 meters long.

Communication with the vehicle was lost less than two hours after it left. The US Coast Guard warned Tuesday noon that there would be “about 40 hours of breathable air” on board.

Since Sunday and the search began, details of OceanGate’s involvement have emerged, and the company has been singled out for possible negligence in the safety of the underwater tourism device.

A 2018 complaint seen by AFP indicates that former OceanGate Expeditions CEO David Lockridge was fired after he raised serious doubts about the submarine’s safety.

According to this former director of marine operations, a hatch in the front of the device was designed to withstand the pressure it is subjected to at a depth of 1,300 meters, not 4,000 meters.

OceanGate’s boss, American Stockton Rush, is aboard the Titan.

He dived alongside wealthy British businessman Hamish Harding (58), French Titanic specialist Paul-Henri Nargolet (77) and Pakistani businessman Shahzada Daoud (48) and his son Suleiman (19), both of whom have British citizenship.

For $250,000, they embarked on an exploration to search for the remains of what was one of the greatest marine disasters of the 20th century.

The Titanic crashed on its maiden voyage in 1912 after hitting an iceberg, killing nearly 1,500 passengers and crew.

Since the wreck was discovered in 1985, treasure hunters and tourists have visited it, thus perpetuating the legend.

burs-ube / nr / rle