Checking near the Titanic seems like the obvious choice. Whether or not USN microphones helped much, I of course don't know.
But my point is that it was not the case that even with USN help it took them days to find it, implying USN could not locate it in less. It's simply not information one way or the other, on its own. This data is consistent with both them instantly knowing exactly when and where, and taking days.
I'd believe it can take hours to check a small area, taking care to not drift into anything, and aiming powerful narrow spotlights. Oh, and avoiding getting currents to smack you into something of a historic landmark.
Especially since the implosion had the power of some hundreds of kg of TNT, and parts can move around in the streams too, over the past days.
But my point is that it was not the case that even with USN help it took them days to find it, implying USN could not locate it in less. It's simply not information one way or the other, on its own. This data is consistent with both them instantly knowing exactly when and where, and taking days.
I'd believe it can take hours to check a small area, taking care to not drift into anything, and aiming powerful narrow spotlights. Oh, and avoiding getting currents to smack you into something of a historic landmark.
Especially since the implosion had the power of some hundreds of kg of TNT, and parts can move around in the streams too, over the past days.