Missing Titanic submersible live updates: Search expands 'exponentially'; more sounds heard

Rescue efforts were expanding and underwater noises were detected in the search for the missing submersible carrying five passengers to the Titanic wreckage site, a Coast Guard official said Wednesday.

An expert submariner from the British Royal Navy, a team of French specialists on remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) and more ships and underwater vessels were joining the search, said Capt. Jamie Frederick, the First Coast Guard District response coordinator, in a news conference Wednesday afternoon.

The search was growing "exponentially" across a surface area roughly two times the size of Connecticut and 2.5 miles deep, he said.

"There is an enormous complexity associated with this case, due to the location being so far offshore and the coordination between multiple agencies and nations," Frederick said.

The 22-foot submersible lost contact with its support ship Sunday about an hour and 45 minutes into its dive. On board are a British adventurer, two members of a prominent Pakistani business family, a Titanic expert and the CEO of OceanGate, the Washington state-based company that operates the vehicle.

Five vessels on the ocean's surface were searching for the submersible, called Titan, and five more were expected to join the effort, Frederick said. Underwater, two ROVs were searching and "several more'' were on the way and expected to arrive by Thursday morning to scan the sea floor, he said. Aircraft also were searching throughout the day.

“The equipment that is onsite and coming is the most sophisticated in the world and certainly capable of reaching those depths,” said Sean Leet, chief executive of Horizon Maritime, a Canadian company that co-owns the research vessel that launched the Titan.

The U.S. Navy said early Wednesday afternoon that a special deep-water salvage system capable of hoisting up to 60,000 pounds had reached St. John’s, Canada, and could be used to lift the Titan to the surface, though it may not be ready for another 24 hours. The Titan weighs 20,000 pounds

Search ships were redirected Tuesday after "multiple" aircraft detected underwater noises in the area. Navy acoustic analysts were studying the sounds, which were heard again Wednesday, he said.

"We don't know what they are," Frederick said. "The good news is, we’re searching in the area where the noises were detected."

Less than a day's supply of oxygen and limited rations

Frederick said there are "limited rations" aboard the vessel, and experts feared it had less than a day's supply of oxygen left. Any decision about changing the search and rescue mission to a recovery mission would involve discussions with family members, Frederick said.

"When you're in the middle of a search and rescue case, you always have hope," he said.

The news comes as more information emerged about experts' attempts to warn OceanGate about the perils of its operations. Documents show an employee warned there might be safety problems posed by the way the experimental vehicle was developed, and leaders in the submersible craft industry told the company its approach to the enterprise could have a "catastrophic'' outcome.

Documents in a federal court in Virginia that oversees matters involving the Titanic's sinking also show the Titan had problems from its very first voyage in the summer of 2021, including issues with its electrical system and battery. Some of those were solved along the way, while others required a trip cancelation, the documents said.

A detailed visual look at sub:Maps, graphics show last location, depth and design

Banging noises an 'encouraging sign,' though a small one

There’s a good chance the banging noises heard by search crews came from the submersible, according to Nikolas Xiros, professor of naval architecture and marine engineering at the University of New Orleans.

Xiros told USA TODAY that’s good news and bad news. If the noises came from the Titan, it might mean people on board are trying to communicate. However, Xiros said that because sound can travel long distances and doesn’t move in a straight path underwater, it might not help narrow down the submersible’s position very much.

“This is an encouraging sign, a small one, but still an encouraging sign,” Xiros said.

There’s also a chance the sounds came from another source, such as the Titanic itself, Xiros said. If they came from the missing submersible, they could have been made by the occupants banging a metal tool or object against the side of it.

The people on board may be facing increasingly dangerous conditions. Xiros said in addition to oxygen possibly running out, the vessel has probably lost power, meaning it’s dark and cold inside. Xiros said at the depths the Titan can go, it could be barely above freezing.

“If a lack of oxygen doesn't get them,'' he said, "what's going to get them is going to be hypothermia.”

On "CBS This Morning" early Wednesday, U.S. Coast Guard First District Commander Rear Adm. John Mauger said there are "a lot of metal and different objects in the water around the site." He added: "We don't know the source of that noise, but we’ve shared that information with Navy experts to classify it."

Submersible company pushed limits, and that's what clients wanted

Even as he declared the Titan submersible “pretty much invulnerable,’’ OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush made it clear he wasn’t against taking risks or breaking some rules.

His company’s expeditions to the Titanic wreckage site catered to thrill-seekers, and wealthy ones at that, with a voyage costing $250,000.

Lawsuits, experts’ warnings and a reporter’s first-person account are now shedding light on the extreme danger of a trip nearly 2½ miles in depth to the bottom of the ocean aboard the experimental Titan, where five people – including Rush – hope to get rescued before possibly running out of oxygen Thursday morning.

Submersible company pushed limits, and that's what clients wanted

Even as he declared the Titan submersible “pretty much invulnerable,’’ OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush made it clear he wasn’t against taking risks or breaking some rules.

His company’s expeditions to the Titanic wreckage site catered to thrill-seekers, and wealthy ones at that, with a voyage costing $250,000.