The United States is considering offering to use its state-of-the-art underwater sound-reading capabilities to analyze recordings of the Nord Stream natural gas pipeline when it was apparently damaged, according to two people familiar with the matter.
The U.S. Navy’s treatment of sonar signatures (a term for unique underwater sounds) provided by Sweden and Denmark could facilitate investigations by gaining a more detailed understanding of what was happening in the area when the pipeline exploded and why, the sources said. While many countries have the ability to deal with underwater sound, the United States has the most advanced systems, the sources said.
In addition to the findings of underwater investigators, the processing of underwater sound is seen as a key part of the investigation, the sources said. Officials said satellite imagery from the days before the leak was unlikely to prove helpful because it was cloudy at the time.
But the extent of U.S. assistance in processing underwater recordings will depend on the quality of the recordings. The quality of any recordings owned by the Swedes and Danes is unclear, the sources said.
Each type of underwater machinery, such as submarines, torpedoes, and ship engines, emits a unique sound known as a “sonar signature,” and the United States has an extensive library of these sounds.
A Navy spokesman would not confirm whether the U.S. would be willing to analyze the sonar recordings, but said the Navy was ready to help with the investigation.
“We are aware of reports of a leak in the Nord Stream pipeline. We stand ready to provide support and assistance in close coordination with our allies and partners if needed,” the captain said. Tamara Lawrence said.
The Swedish National Seismic Network (SNSN) said the explosion had been detected, and experts said the SNSN could share records with the United States for processing, but the seismic records are not the same as high-quality sonar records.
“What they’re looking for are known signatures of enemy ships or known signatures associated with actions like opening torpedo doors. The goal is to identify what’s causing this. The quality of the data and the type of historical data in the database will determine their The extent to which sonar signatures can be used to accurately attribute this event,” explained Mark Montgomery, senior director of the Center for Cyber and Technology Innovation at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
Experts say the United States has helped analyze the Swedes’ underwater recordings in the past.
The Defense Department is conducting a “prudent plan” to understand what U.S. assets, equipment and technical expertise are available to assist the Baltic states in their investigations, CNN reported last week.