Titanic tourist sub goes missing in Atlantic Ocean, June 2023 #2

[10ofRods]

The sub had the ability to send a sonar ‘ping’ to its location every 15 minutes, but that stopped at 1:45 minutes into the dive.

Yes, that's why I am asking what other methods they have. The sonar ping isn't working. The cell phone method isn't working. What would cause both of those to go down? Loss of electricity would remove the sonar ping, I imagine. But why isn't the cell phone working? How far do text messages (cellular data) penetrate beneath the sea? Were the pings the only method, once below a certain depth?

At any rate, neither known method is working right now. So my question remains: if the sub is now at the surface, how does anyone in the sub let rescuers know? There cannot be an easy way of breaching the walls of the sub if in fact it took over a dozen bolts to screw the hatch down tight enough. What human action could possibly manage to open that sub from inside? What methods are left to them?

There are waterproof flairs, but the firing of them would have to be triggered mechanically from inside the sub, not electronically, in this scenario. Solar-powered auto-firing flairs?

I still have no answer to the question of how, exactly, the people inside the sub are supposed to signal the ship, once they are at the surface. The idea was that the Titan would come back in roughly the same place it went down and still have cell phones working, IMO.

JMO.

 

[Ursamajr]

This is the stuff of nightmares.

It's wild that the Titanic might still be claiming lives in 2023.

 

[Deepinthought52]

Sadly this reminds me of the challenger

 

[linds1393]

This is the stuff of nightmares.

It's wild that the Titanic might still be claiming lives in 2023.

Isn't it something? This whole situation is wild

 

[Emi]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1671564151699669016

 

[10ofRods]

If they lost communication, maybe they are unable to navigate?

They have no means of navigation in the first place. Their navigational system was based on the pings and then the mother ship sending text messages about their position (which surely must have been at the coordinates for the Titanic wreckage or near there, when they began their descent).

They have just darkness outside their window and have lights to shine on the wreckage (likely not working if there's no electricity). Electrical problem could be the precipitating event here.

Once they lost communication via text, they lost their ability to navigate altogether. The article describing last year's trip said that the Titan did get lost at one point. I don't think that every set of passengers has been treated to the actual viewing of the Titanic, because IIRC, last year, the Titan surfaced without seeing the wreck:

Missing Titanic tourist submarine also got lost for a few hours during 2022 trip

The submarine that has gone missing during a tourist trip to the wreckage of the Titanic had gotten lost for about two-and-a-half hours during a similar trip last year.

nypost.com

Article also describes an electrical system failure which left them lost and unable to navigate.

IMO.

 

[JennieM]

Captain Jamie Frederick of the US Coast Guard

"When you are in the middle of a rescue operation, you always have hope."

 

[JennieM]

Captain Jamie Frederick of the US Coast Guard

He doesn't know what the sounds are. Inconclusive.

 

[JennieM]

Captain Jamie Frederick of the US Coast Guard

"The oxygen is just one piece of data. There are many data we need to consider."

 

[JennieM]

He said it's definitely a search and rescue mission. Not a recovery mission.

 

[linds1393]

The crowd is obviously very interested in the noises heard.

 

[Merpedy]

But why isn't the cell phone working? How far do text messages (cellular data) penetrate beneath the sea?

Are you confusing the text messaging with the acoustic link system that news sources are referring to as messaging?

The Titan would have had an acoustic link with its surface vessel, set up through a transponder (a device for receiving a sonar signal) on its end, and a transceiver (a device that can both transmit and receive communications) on the surface vessel.

This link allows for underwater acoustic positioning, as well as for short text messages to be sent back and forth to the surface vessel – but the amount of data that can be shared is limited and usually includes basic telemetry and status information.

Source

There's been several people who have been on the sub and expeditions saying that the communication systems would stop working during the dives
One example, citing a BBC News interview

 

[ch_13]

Maybe a silly question, but if they were on top of the water and had surfaced, wouldn't their Apple Watches, Phone, etc. be pinging. I have to assume at least the 19 year old has a phone on his person. At surface or right below the surface it should work no? I just saw a friends get thrown into 10 feet of water (accidentally) and the thing was ringing at the bottom of the pool?

There aren't any cell towers on the ocean so there's nothing to ping. Aside from that, electromagnetic waves can't propagate any significant distance underwater.

Underwater telephones do exist but they are specially designed and use acoustic signals. When James Cameron went to the bottom of the Mariana Trench he was in voice contact throughout the entire trip and the trench is almost 7 miles deep. The Titan however, wasn't equipped with any voice communicators.

 

[linds1393]

Noises heard again today

 

[JennieM]

Captain Jamie Frederick of the US Coast Guard

When asked if they have any food.

"My understanding is that they have some limited rations. I can't tell you how much."

 

[JennieM]

He said they don't know what the noises are but they need to have hope.

 

[JennieM]

Noises described as banging noises.

But they may not be manmade.

 

[linds1393]

These noises sound promising... For the first time in a bit I have a sliver of hope...

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Hope is the thing with feathers

That perches in the soul

And sings the tune without the words

And never stops at all

~ Emily Dickinson

 

[JennieM]

Object spotted by plane was not the sub​

A reporter has asked about a reported rectangular object which was spotted, but Capt Frederick said the aircraft crew that saw the object yesterday determined it not to be part of the case.

He said it is not uncommon to spot various objects in the ocean that are not part of a search.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-us-canada-65967464