Early on the morning of June 18, 2023, during a sightseeing dive to the wreck of the Titanic, lying on the ocean floor at a depth of over 3 kilometers off the coast of Newfoundland, contact was lost with the deep-sea submersible “Titan.”
Onboard the Titan were five people: two technicians and three tourists who had paid a substantial amount for the dive.
The search for the submersible lasted for five days, fueled by hope that the people onboard were still alive. This hope was especially strong after reports of loud “technogenic noises” coming from the area where the Titan was believed to be located. The sounds were detected near the site of the Titanic wreck, which sank in 1912.
On June 22, the scant and severely mangled wreckage of the Titan was found, suggesting that all five people aboard had perished, likely on the first day.
The underwater microphones of a secret U.S. Navy acoustic detection system recorded the implosion (explosion) of the Titan a few hours after contact was lost. However, this information was declassified only on June 22, after the wreckage was found.
What then could explain the strange noises heard by rescuers on the second day of the search?
“Sounds of multiple strikes” were recorded on June 19, detected by the sonar of the Canadian vessel CP-140.
“They believed the sound originated near the Titanic wreck site at a depth of about 10,000 feet (3 kilometers),” the report stated.
The next morning, the U.S. Coast Guard confirmed the sound but reported that searches for its source yielded no results.
The wreckage of the Titan was found approximately 500 meters from the Titanic wreck.
During the search operation, there were speculations that these “technogenic” sounds were likely caused by some object striking the vessel’s hull. A theory was proposed that live people inside the Titan might have been banging on the walls to indicate their location.
According to retired Chief Petty Officer Roger Draper of the Canadian Navy, the sounds heard were undoubtedly man-made, though he doubts they came from the Titan.
Later, media reports revealed that U.S. Navy analysis determined the thunderous sounds were likely noise from other search vessels or natural ocean sounds. However, the investigation into the matter is still ongoing, and the exact source of the sounds remains undetermined.
