Three vessels arrived Wednesday morning to join the search effort for the missing Titanic submersible, according to a tweet from the US Coast Guard’s First District.
One of the vessels – the John Cabot – has “side scanning sonar capabilities “ and joins the Skandi Vinland and the Atlantic Merlin on the search, USCG said.
Side scan sonar is a system used for “detecting and imaging objects on the seafloor,” according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
“The multiple physical sensors of the sonar — called a transducer array — send and receive the acoustic pulses that help map the seafloor or detect other objects,” NOAA said. “As the ship moves along its path, the transducer array sends out signals on both of its sides, sweeping the seafloor like the fan-shaped beam of a flashlight. Side scans search at constant speeds and in straight lines, allowing the ship to map the ocean bottom as it travels.”
However, side scan sonar cannot measure depth, so it is frequently used in coordination with other tools to create a more extensive survey of the ocean floor, NOAA said.
