Rear Admiral confirms reports suggesting sonar sound heard was actually 'background ocean noise'

US Coast Guard Rear Admiral John Mauger has confirmed that some of the sounds heard by sonar buoys were ‘background ocean noise’.

Speaking to Sky News, he said: “We’ve taken that information and shared it with top leading experts from the US Navy and the Canadian Navy, and they’re working on the analysis of that information, they’re continuing to work on the analysis of that information.

“The initial reports is that there’s a lot of the sounds that were generated were from background ocean noise, but they continue to … look for all available information there."

OceanGate

“What’s important to me, and what’s important as the unified command, is that we’ve continued search in the areas where noise was detected with the ROVs that we have from the time of that detection, so we’re not waiting for this analysis to take action.

“The analysis is really helpful to our overall search-and-rescue efforts, but we’re not waiting on it, we’ve moved the remote operated vehicles that we’ve had on site to those areas where noise was detected.”

The senior member of the search and rescue team also said that any decision to stop the search would be taken after ‘thorough consultation’ with the families of people on board the Titan submersible.

On board the craft are OceanGate founder and CEO Stockton Rush, British billionaire Hamish Harding, father and son Shahzada and Suleman Dawood, and French diver Paul-Henry Nargeolet.

Mauger continued: “There’s a time and place for that discussion, right now we have this new capability that is available on the sea floor actively conducting the search and rescue, so my focus right now is, and the focus of the unified command, is really on maximising the use of those assets that we have on scene.

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“We will remain focused on the search and rescue but continue to take in all available information as we plan out our future operation.”

He added that there is ‘frequent’ communication with the parties who would be involved in any such decision.

“Most importantly, we’re going to talk with the families and advise them of where we are in the search-and-rescue operations,” he added.

“So, there will be a time and place for that decision, that decision will be taken after thorough consultation with the families, but we’re continuing to focus on the search and rescue at this time.”

Most estimates suggest that the 96 hours of emergency oxygen aboard the OceanGate submarine may now have run out, although those behind the co-ordinated efforts have insisted that it is still a search and rescue mission.

Mauger also stated that a full and thorough investigation into how the submersible went missing will take place, but not until the search is over, one way or another.

OceanGate

“There’s going to be a time and place for a thorough investigation,” he said.

“I don’t know what that looks like right now.

“The focus of the unified command is on the search and rescue, and so we’re going to continue to use all those assets that we have on scene and really focus on locating the submersible and the people on board.

“There will be a thorough investigation, I’m sure of that, I don’t know what that looks like right now but the unified command can tell you we are focused on search and rescue.

“This is really the focus for our unified efforts right now and so we’re going to continue to prosecute the search and rescue. That discussion can be had at a later time.”