The U.S. Navy, utilizing information from a secret community of underwater sensors designed to trace hostile submarines, detected “an anomaly consistent with an implosion or explosion” within the neighborhood of the Titan submersible on the time communications with the vessel have been misplaced on Sunday, two senior Navy officers stated on Thursday.

But with no different indications of a disaster, one of many officers stated, the search was continued.

The information from the sensors was mixed with data from airborne Navy P-8 surveillance planes and sonar buoys on the floor to triangulate the approximate location of the Titan, one of many officers stated. The evaluation of undersea acoustic information and details about the situation of the noise have been then handed on to the Coast Guard official accountable for the search, Rear Adm. John Mauger.

Because there was no visible or different conclusive proof of a catastrophic failure, one of many officers stated, it might have been “irresponsible” to instantly assume the 5 passengers have been useless, and the search was ordered to proceed regardless that the outlook appeared grim. Both of the Navy officers spoke on the situation of anonymity to debate operational particulars.

It was not instantly clear how broadly the Navy’s acoustical evaluation was disseminated among the many search crew, nor why the Navy had not made it public earlier. The Navy’s acoustic evaluation from the key sensor community was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.