The 52-Hz Whale: The Story of the Lone Whale of the Sea

During the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union, the US Navy built several facilities to monitor the movements of Soviet submarines. Those installations were equipped with hydrophones, which could detect the subtlest sounds in the ocean depths. Soviet submarines mainly operated in the 20-50 Hz sound-range. Hydrophones were designed to detect sounds near this range. However, the instruments were able to track whale sounds in coastal areas as well as submarines. Whales mainly produce sounds in the 10-40 Hz range. When US-Soviet tensions eased, these instruments were given to marine life research.

The time was December 1989. Bill Watkinson, a researcher at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), a marine life research center in Massachusetts, suddenly caught a strange and unexpected noise on the radar. The frequency of the sound puzzled him. The frequency was 52 Hz. Is it a war submarine? But by that time the Cold War had ended. As a result, it is not supposed to be a submarine. But what is it? Any aquatic animal sounds? If so, what animal makes such a complex sound? Drunk him. 52 Hz sound came down in the study. For a long time Watkinson observed the movement of this sound source. He noticed that the source of the sound was also following the course of the blue whale and fin whale in that area. That means, maybe it's a whale. But blue whales usually produce sounds in the 10-40 Hz range. And fin whales have a sound range of 20 Hz. But this limit is much higher. He found that the particular sound at 52 Hz was not available from any other source over a wider area. It is the only source producing 52 Hz sound over such a large area.

The sound was picked up by radar from August each year, peaked in December and January, gradually drifting away from radar range by early February. Watkinson continued the research. For years he searched for the source of just that one word. His research lasted for more than a century. After his death in 2004, his co-researcher Mary Ann Daher published a related paper in the journal ScienceDirect.

After its publication, it created a stir in marine life. Everyone assumed it was a whale traveling alone at sea. Because of the difference in sound-threshold, there are no whales in the ocean that can hear his calls. As a result, it became known as the world's loneliest whale call. Some call it the 52-hertz whale because the frequency of the sound is 52 hertz. Assuming the source of the sound was indeed a whale, it could be said to be a particular species of whale. This species no longer exists in the region. Because the 52 Hz sound was coming from only one source.

Some theories are put forward behind this particular term. The most plausible is that this whale is a hybrid of a blue whale and a fin whale. As a result, the frequency of sound has changed as its biological structure has changed. Some scientists deny the loneliness of whales. According to them, the whale may not be as lonely as we think. Even if other whales in the area cannot produce sounds at 52 Hz, there is no guarantee that they will not hear them. It's also possible that other whales can hear and communicate with this particular whale's 52 Hz sound. After Bill Watkinson's death, this research slowed down a bit. Later, Professor John Hildebrand of California's Scripps Institution of Oceanography studied it again in 2010. One of his assistants re-tracked the source of the sound. This time the sound was picked up by a sensor only 5-6 miles away from Hildabrand's office. Although the frequency of sound decreased slightly from 52 Hz to 47-48 Hz. But it was normal. Because the frequency of sound decreases as the whale ages. At the same time another sound of this frequency is detected by another sensor far away. That means there are more such whales. From this, he decided that maybe what we were talking about as the loneliest whale, is not really lonely. Later, American filmmaker Josh Jamen and actor Adrian Grenier decided to find the whale and make a documentary. On this occasion, they started a fund raise and started a new journey in October 2015. The main objective of the journey was to find the 52 Hz whale and bring it to the world. The documentary called The Loneliest Whale was released recently.

However, it has not been possible to find the fifty-two whales yet. However, a piece of information has come out that has shaken the marine world. Due to the increase in the movement of launches, steamers, cargo ships etc. in the sea, noise pollution is constantly increasing. As a result, many more whales are actually becoming lonely in this vast ocean. Their call is lost in the pressure of numerous mechanical sounds. As a result, whales are changing the frequency of their own sounds in order to distinguish their own sounds. It is not yet certain whether the 52 Hz sound actually comes from a whale. However, the question of whether this species of whale is the only one in the sea remains unanswered. At some point, fifty-two mysteries may be revealed. Until then, let us leave Fifty Two as the story of a lonely whale.