UNC Wilmington professor has connection with missing submarine

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WTVD) -- As the search continues for that tourist submarine that vanished near the wreckage of the Titanic in the North Atlantic, a connection to the Tar Heel State has surfaced.

A research professor from UNC Wilmington is part of the team that launched the sub.

Dr. Steve Ross is renowned for his marine research. He is serving as the chief scientist for OceanGate, the foundation that created the Titan submersible.

Officials at UNCW said Ross is safe, but the search continues for the five people lost underwater - their oxygen supply running low.

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The Coast Guard said Wednesday it is bringing in more ships and underwater vessels to search for a submersible missing in the North Atlantic after detecting underwater sounds, including banging noises, that provided a glimmer of hope three days after the Titan disappeared while bringing five people down to the wreck of the Titanic.

Banging, noises heard from search area for lost Titanic tour submersible, Coast Guard says

Submarine crews unable to communicate with the surface are taught to bang on their submersible's hull to be detected by sonar.

The vessel missing near the Titanic wreck is a submersible, not a submarine: Here's the difference