‘Debris field’ discovered during search for missing Titanic submarine

The United States Coast Guard says a remotely operated vehicle has discovered a “debris field” near the wreck of the Titanic.

In a brief tweet, the coast guard said experts were evaluating the find, but no other details were provided.

Two additional remotely operated vehicles joined the search for a submersible that disappeared while taking five people to view the wreck of the Titanic on Sunday.

A debris field was discovered within the search area by an ROV near the Titanic. Experts within the unified command are evaluating the information. 1/2

— USCGNortheast (@USCGNortheast) June 22, 2023

The First Coast Guard District in Boston confirmed Thursday morning on Twitter that the French ROV L’Atalante was being prepared to enter the water about 700 kilometres southeast of Newfoundland.

The coast guard also confirmed that the Canadian vessel Horizon Arctic had deployed an ROV that reached the ocean floor and was looking for the Titan, a carbon-fibre and titanium submersible operated by the U.S.-based OceanGate Expeditions.

The Canadian vessel Horizon Arctic has deployed an ROV that has reached the sea floor and began its search for the missing sub. #Titanic

— USCGNortheast (@USCGNortheast) June 22, 2023

The submersible is reaching the critical 96-hour mark, which is when breathable air is expected to run out.

That means the deadline to find and rescue the submersible is approximately between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. on Thursday, according to the U.S. Coast Guard and the company behind the expedition.

American authorities say “banging sounds” were detected on Tuesday and Wednesday in the search area, though the cause remains unclear.

The U.S. Navy is analyzing recordings of those sounds.

With files from The Canadian Press.