The U.S. Coast Guard is actively investigating a series of underwater noises detected by sonar planes on Tuesday, aiming to uncover whether they are linked to the missing Titanic submersible.

The search-and-rescue teams experienced intermittent “banging” sounds, with a 30-minute gap between each occurrence, near the area where the five passengers aboard the Titanic sub went missing.

During a press conference held on Wednesday afternoon, Coast Guard Captain Jamie Frederick revealed that a team of experts is currently analyzing recordings of these “banging” sounds, acknowledging, “We don’t know what they are, to be frank with you.”

In a bid to shed light on the matter, Carl Hartsfield from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution suggested that underwater animals may be responsible for producing sounds that resemble those of humans.

It was a Canadian airplane that initially picked up these mysterious “underwater noises” on Tuesday, prompting the search team to redirect their efforts to the source of the sounds, as stated by Frederick.

Presently, there are five “surface assets” and two remotely operated vehicles engaged in the search for the submersible, named Titan.

Furthermore, an additional five assets are expected to join the mission within the next two days, according to The New York Times.

Authorities are also employing airplanes and sonar buoys to aid in the search for the missing sub.

Emphasizing the importance of the ongoing operation, the Coast Guard captain reiterated that this is unequivocally a “search-and-rescue mission,” highlighting the need to maintain hope.

The Coast Guard estimates that the five passengers aboard the Titan have less than 24 hours of oxygen remaining.

Initially, rescue teams were scouring an area approximately the size of Connecticut after the vessel vanished, but they have now initiated a last-ditch endeavor involving heavy machinery and submarines that arrived in Newfoundland on Tuesday night.

As reported by The Daily Mail, three C-17 aircraft from the U.S. Air Force touched down at a cargo terminal in St. John’s, Newfoundland, carrying unmanned vehicles capable of diving to depths of 19,000 feet.

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The cargo also included two robust Hyundai winches labeled with “6000 kg line pull,” a substantial roll of cable, and two sizable machines with “high voltage” prominently displayed on their sides. The equipment was meticulously loaded onto six flatbed trucks using a forklift truck.

These vital assets were transported to a port where the Horizon Arctic, a dedicated vessel, was scheduled to set sail at midnight.

However, the journey to the location where the Titan is presumed to be submerged would require approximately 15 hours.

Given that the submersible may be situated as deep as 12,000 feet below the surface and weighs a staggering 10,432 kg, both winches would be indispensable for its recovery.

The individuals on board the missing Titanic submersible have been identified as billionaire Hamish Harding, British-Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood, his son Suleman, French maritime expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet, and Stockton Rush, the CEO and founder of OceanGate.

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