Good afternoon, everyone.
I'm Captain Jamie Frederick with
the First Coast Guard District,
and I'll provide an update on our ongoing
search efforts for the Titan Submarine.
Behind me or beside me,
I should say, you'll see several subject
matter experts from the Unified Command
who introduce themselves momentarily.
These individuals represent onla
small fraction of the many dedid
professionals working around the clock
on this complex response effort.
We understand this is an extremy
difficult time for the families of the
missing crew members aboard the Titan and
our thoughts go out to them and the crew.
The Unified Command Team is worg
tirelessly to bring all available assets and
expertise to bear as quickly as possible
in response to this complex operation,
and we remain in close contact with the
family members and the crew to ensure
they are fully aware of our current and
future search efforts
additionally. We've been in cloe
contact with the British and Frh
Consulates General to ensure
that they are fully appraised.
Our efforts and we are ensuringt
their concerns are being addres.
We're incredibly grateful for te
full spectrum of international
assistance that has been provid,
including an expert submariner m
the Royal Navy here with us serving a
board as a critical member of our team.
Additionally, a team of highly trained
French ROV operators departed S.
John's last night are in route
to aid the search.
Moreover, our Canadian partnerse
been providing critical leadersp
and significant response capabilities
since the beginning of our effo.
Again, this is an incredibly cox
search operation requiring both
surface and subsurface elementsd
our unified approach is critical
the location of the search.
900 miles east of Cape Cod and
400 miles SE St.
John's makes it exceptionally
difficult to mobilize large
amounts of equipment quickly.
In spite of those challenges,
we've been able to provide continuous
air and surface search assets as
well as additional ROV capabiliy
to search below the surface.
We currently have five surface
assets searching for the Titan d
we expect 10 total service asseo
search in the next 24 to 48 hou.
There are two ROV's actively searching.
And several more are in route ad
will arrive by tomorrow morning.
We've received incredible suppot
with aviation assets from our Ct
Guard Air Station in Elizabeth ,
the Air National Guard and
Canadian Armed Forces.
Today there are two back-to-back P3 flights,
one is ongoing now as I speak,
totally 14 hours of continuous n
scene coverage and two C 130 flights,
also one ongoing now throughout
the day and into the evening.
Yesterday, the Canadian P3 deted
underwater noises in the search area.
As a result, ROV operations
were relocated in an attempt to
explore the origin of the noise.
Although the ROV searches have yielded
negative results, they continue.
Additionally, the data from the3
aircraft has been shared with our U.S.
Navy experts for further analys,
which will be considered
in future search plans.
The surface search is now approximately
2 times the size of Connecticut,
and the subsurface search
is up to 2 1/2 miles deep,
exponentially expanding the
size of the search area.
We also have to factor in the
ever changing weather condition,
currents, and sea states that
expand the search area every ho.
There's an enormous complexity
associated with this case due to
the location being so offshore,
so far offshore,
and the coordination between
multiple agencies and nations.
We greatly appreciate the
outpouring of support and offers
to provide additional equipment.
The unified command continues to
prioritize assets and resourcesn
order to provide the best capaby
in the most timely manner.
This includes weighing multiple
factors to identify the most effective
resources available to the respe
operation with careful consideration,
consideration to timeliness of
equipment arriving on scene,
usefulness and ability to delivr
assets to the search area.
Over the past 48 hours, we have,
through incredible unity of eff,
mobilized and implemented A tremendous
amount of expertise and response capability.
In addition to the ships and
aircraft previously mentioned,
we've dispatched 2 subject
matter experts from U.S.
Navy NAV Sea Subsalve,
who will serve as search coordinators on
scene for underwater search operations.
So I've been stressing unity of
effort a lot in this statement,
and that's because it is absoluy
critical to this complex operat.
Again, our thoughts
and prayers are with the crew,
with the tight end and their loved ones.
We will continue to work as
hard and as quickly as possible
in an effort to locate them.
I will take a few questions,
but before I do that, I do want,
I'm going to have each of the members,
the team here, just introduce
themselves and then I'll go ahed
and and take some questions.
Good afternoon. I'm Paul Hankin.
I'm the Director for Salvage Operations
with the US Navy's Supervisor of Salvage.
Hello, I'm Carl Hartsfield frome
Woods Hole Oceanographic Instit.
Good afternoon. I'm not saying
Commander Rich Canthoria.
I'm an exchange officer currenty
serving on the staff of Commandr
Submarines Atlantic at Norfolk,.
Good afternoon. Lieutenant Commander Christy
Butler, working closely with Can
Frederick from RCC Boston Searcd
Rescue Mission Coordinator. Thank you.
So a couple things. One, I
think when you're in the middle
of a search and rescue case,
you always have hope.
That's that's why we're doing what we do.
With respect to the noises specifically,
we we don't know what they are.
To be frank with you,
we the the P3 detected noises.
That's why they're up there.
That's why they're doing what they're doing.
That's why they put so on
our buoys in the water.
The good news is what I can telu
is we're searching in the area e
the noises were detected and wel
continue to do so and we we hop.
That when we're able to get additional
Rov's which will be there in the morning,
the intent will be to continue
to search in those areas where
the noises were detected and if
they're continuing to be detect,
and then put additional Rov's dn
in the last known position where
search was originally taking pl.
I hadn't heard 30 minute interv,
so here's what I can tell you.
So I am not a trained ear
for underwater Aquatics.
That's why we have a team of exs
that are analyzing that data.
That data was sent immediately
to to the Navy last night and
it was analyzed overnight.
They're still looking at it,
but I can tell you that it's,
it's inconclusive.
But again,
I think the important pieces
we're searching in the area
where the noises were detected
talking about a timeline.
Can you talk about what timeline
you're working on in conjunction with
the teams that are there?
It's a timeline of what respect
how much auctions and they
have left off. OK, so well.
In terms of so we talked about
the oxygen number. I think you'e
all tracking the oxygen number.
I I think there's an important
point with that though.
The oxygen that that that's juse
piece of data right there. There
are a lot of pieces of data that
we need to consider and you
know we're continuously lookingt
that and we'll continuously you know do
that throughout the search. But that's
not the only thing that's important, right.
And and right now our efforts ae
are solely focused on the search that
certainly is a dialogue that's happening.
But but we're focused
on searching at this
.0. This is a this is a search
and rescue mission 100%.
We are smack dab in the middle f
search and rescue and and we'll
continue to put every available asset
that we have in an effort to dee
the Titan and the crew members.
So a couple things so the the Rov's all
each ROV brings different capaby
the Rov's that are diving today.
Well, what's the, what's the deh
on the 4000 meters and they some
additional RO Vs that will be arriving
tomorrow have additional depth
capability with respect to an object.
So yesterday one of the aircraft
did see an object.
I will tell you this in search d
rescue missions when aircraft ae
flying continuously there is stf
out of the ocean that is floati.
We went back, we looked at it,
it it it wasn't we we didn't
determine it to be debris.
We don't think it it,
it correlates with the case and it is not.
Uncommon at all during an active
search to see things and then
we go and look at them.
So
yeah, so the P so several P3
flights are have heard the noiss
yesterday and we put assets the.
We we relocated assets immediaty
with respect to food and
water is my understanding.
There are some limited rations.
I I can't tell you exactly how .
They have a board but they do have some
limited rations aboard the vess.
Listen you I I think you need to be careful.
We we need to have hope right.
But but I don't.
I can't tell you what the noises
are but what I can tell you is
and I think this is the most
important point we're searching
where the noises are and that's
all we can do at this point
right now about the status.
So I so I just wanted to,
so it is my understanding that the P3
had heard some noises today as .
But so I do want to take
just an opportunity to,
to invite Carl to the podium jut
to talk a little bit about he hs
a little bit more expertise in n
underwater acoustics and maybe t
to speak to that in general bece
again you know there are noises
below the surface of the ocean.
And so I'll just turn it to Car.
Yes,
CARLHARTSFIELD.
So again, Carl Hartsfield from e
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
So the ocean is a very complex place.
Obviously human sounds, nature sounds,
and it's very difficult to discern what
the source of those noises are at times.
But I can tell you that this
team has multiple sensors.
They're in the area.
They're sending data back expeditiously
to the best in the world,
people to analyze that data,
and then they're feeding the res
of that analyst back to the unid
team and they're making decisio.
So Woods Hole is here in an advisory role,
but by our expertise,
what I see is a very tight operational
loop that's making decisions bad
on data and nothing is ruled ou.
There have been multiple reports
of noises, and everyone of those
noises is being analyzed, track,
look for patterns and reported
upon. Can you describe what
the noise, Can you describe
what the noise sounds like that
they're hearing?
Well, you know the noise is
again very complex in the ocean.
You have to be an acoustic anals
and you have to have context.
They're trying to put all
the pieces together.
The noises have been described
as banging noises, but again,
they have to put the whole picte
together in context and they hae
to eliminate potential manmade
sources other than the Titan.
Is it possible? Is it possible t
a ship in the ocean? Is it posse
a ship in the ocean or even some
mammals out there could
mimic that kind of sound?
So I can tell you from my expere
with acoustics that there are
sounds by biologics that sound
man made to the untrained ear.
But I can assure you that the pe
listening to these tapes are trained,
there are a lot of vessels in te
area and they each make noise, right.
So all of that has to be elimind
and it's analysis over time plus
as the captain said it's we're e
team is searching in the right .
So if you continue to analysis,
do the analysis, look for diffet
patterns and search in the right area,
you're you're doing,
you know the best you possibly n
do with the best people on the .
Captain.
Captain. Captain is
a deep deep ocean South and
salvage system highway that
was sent there to the location.
Can you tell if it's if it's on site yet?
And how it operates and how
long it would take for rest
to accept which which system does he speak
about? You know, the system. Whs
the system that you're talking about?
That's just the hydraulic crane.
Yeah. So that's right.
So that's a piece of equipment.
It's a crane piece of equipment.
There are a lot of pieces of
equipment flowing in through St.
John's right now.
One thing I did want to mention,
I think it's important.
Some of the ROV capability
that's arriving soon is, is, is,
is really great incredible capability.
One thing I want to point out is
that French team that's coming
in to serve aboard with their
equipment aboard a French ship,
they they bring some
state-of-the-art equipment.
And so once they get on,
we're going to have more assetsn
to look and we'll continue to put them
where we think the best locatio.
So how many days is it,
just how many days or so.
Well, so we we have to remain
optimistic and hopeful when youe
in the search and rescue case.
So we're in this,
we're right in the middle
of search and rescue case.
So I I don't, I don't want to gt
into a discussion about when tht
would end with respect to this .
What I will tell you though,
I'm happy to to explain to you kind of
how that process were to work it you know.
The Coast Guard prosecutes search and
rescue cases on a on a daily bas
and sometimes we don't find what
we're looking for and you have ,
you have to carefully consider all of
the factors and there are a lotf
factors you consider and then ar
you consider all of those facto,
sometimes you're you're in a position
where you have to make a tough decision.
We're not there yet,
but if we continue to search.
Potentially we could be at that point.
But again,
we're not there yet and that's a
discussion that we will have wih
the family long before I'm going
to discuss that here publicly.
I'm sorry man.
Yeah. So I I can't put a number
on on on the like, you know,
I'm not going to put a percent.
I don't have a percentage numbe.
What I would tell you is that
that is just one data point.
And there are more,
there are more data points than
that that we have to look at.
So right now we continue to
search and we'll have that ther.
Sure.
So
the the noises were heard by Canadian P3
and that was this morning and some yesterday.
I don't know specifically over
there 30 minute intervals,
but again I really think the important
point to that is we're in the a,
we're searching there,
we moved assets and we're searcg
there and and we'll continue to do so.
Yeah,
I don't. So listen I whether it's operable
or whether it's sitting on the ocean floor,
whether it's in the sea column,
whether it's in the surface I you know I.
It's all speculation and and we're just
not in the business of speculat.
We're in the business of searching and
we're putting everything we can with the
data we have to search for the vessel.
I think we'll take, we'll take
one more question.
Yes. So, so we, we, we
asked for some additional subsue
support and we got that through the Navy.
Through a liaison officer,
he's just one of many team membs
and we're we're greatly apprecie
of the British government and
all this where they've given us.
So I think the plan will be
to do it, to do it daily like t.
I'm not going to it's a
lock into that right now,
but but we'll keep you informedd
certainly if there's any major
developments to let you know.
Thank you very much.