 After only a day of search operations, however, a gale with 50-knot (58-mph; 93-km/hr) winds and 20-foot (6-meter) seas forced "Whiting" and U.S. Navy survey ships in the area to return early on 3 November to Newport, where "Whiting"'s crew compared their survey data with data collected by U.S. Navy ships.A break in the weather allowed "Whiting" to return on 5 November to continue her bottom-mapping operations; although she had to suspend mapping operations briefly when the towfish containing her sidescan sonar became entangled in a lobster pot and was damaged, her crew was able to improvise a night repair in difficult weather conditions and put the sonar back into service.