A top-secret U.S. submarine acoustic system designed to detect submarines recorded the sound of the Titan submersible explosion several hours after it began diving. This was reported by The Wall Street Journal, citing participants in the search for the vessel and sources in the country's Ministry of Defense.
According to the source of the publication in the Ministry of Defense, the US Navy began to listen to the search site for the bathyscaphe almost immediately after losing contact with it. Shortly thereafter, the acoustic system recorded the sound of an explosion in the place where the wreckage was eventually found. This information was passed on to search participants.
“The US Navy analyzed acoustic data and found an anomaly consistent with an implosion or explosion in the immediate vicinity of where the Titan submersible was operating when communication with it was lost,” a US Navy source said.
The U.S. Coast Guard said yesterday that the wreckage of the Titan submarine found in the Atlantic Ocean showed signs of damage consistent with a "catastrophic explosion directed inward" of the submarine. The department confirmed the death of the ship's crew.
Five people were on board, including OceanGate Expeditions CEO and founder Stockton Rush, submarine commander Paul-Henri Nargolet, and British billionaire Hamish Harding. Contact with the submersible was lost approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes after the dive. Experts have previously warned that the bathyscaphe is unsafe to operate. The submarine was searched for four days.