US Navy likely heard Titan imploding hours after diving: Report

The US Navy has said that it detected the likely implosion of Titan just hours after it set out to explore the Titanic shipwreck on Sunday, according to The Wall Street Journal.

A senior US Navy official told the daily in a statement on Thursday that the US Navy analysed the acoustic data and “detected an anomaly consistent with an implosion or explosion” in the area where Titan was operating.

“While not definitive, this information was immediately shared with the Incident Commander to assist with the ongoing search and rescue mission,” the statement said.

The senior official added that “this information was considered with the compilation of additional acoustic data provided by other partners and the decision was made to continue our mission as a search and rescue and make every effort to save the lives on board”.

According to another US Navy official, the service does not share such information until the search for the survivors has ended.

Death of five people

The US Coast Guard confirmed the death of the five people who were aboard the Titanic expedition submarine, which went missing in the Atlantic. The debris of the submersible has been found suggesting that the crew died due to a ‘catastrophic implosion.

OceanGate’s statement

Titan’s operator OceanGate on Thursday released a statement saying that the five explorers who boarded the Titanic expedition submersible are now believed to be dead.

• Missing Titanic sub: 'Landing frame, rear cover' from vessel among discovered debris, says dive expert