Shipwrecks Teem with Underwater Life, from Microbes to Sharks
have sailed the world’s oceans for thousands of years, but they haven’t all reached port. Researchers estimate that there are some three million shipwrecks worldwide, resting in shallow rivers and bays, coastal waters and the deep ocean. Many sank during catastrophes – some during storms or after running aground, others in battle or collisions with other vessels.Shipwrecks like the RMS Titanic, RMS Lusitania and USS Monitor conjure tales of human courage and sacrifice, sunken treasure and unsolved mysteries. But there’s another angle to their stories that doesn’t feature
Op/Ed: We Cannot Let the OceanGate Tragedy Put a Pause on Ocean Exploration
In the wake of the catastrophic implosion of OceanGate’s Titan submersible during a dive on the wreck of RMS Titanic, the marine technology community continues to question how to prevent such a tragedy from recurring. An obvious option is to impose international safety regulations regarding such expeditions.For manned submersibles, there is merit in considering restrictions based upon technical criteria. OceanGate refused to obtain DVL certification for Titan. This was one of several safety concerns raised by the manned underwater vehicles committee of the Marine Technology
Exail Launches All-in-one INS and DVL System
velocity, and attitude information, even in challenging subsea environments, Exail said. This new all-in-one system is suited for subsea companies looking to maximize efficiency, and allows for higher levels of reliability, with a position accuracy of up to 0.02%TD and a heading accuracy of up to 0.01°RMS, according to the manufacturer."By merging the INS and DVL complementary measurements, the resulting navigation data becomes much more precise and accurate than either system used alone. The ability to connect external sensors such as pressure sensors through the satellite connectors available
AAM Delivers Survey Vessel for NV5-Geodynamics
Shackleford’s primary IMU / multibeam reference systems, and a network of discrete benchmarks set within the vessel’s reference frame allowing accurate and repeatable lever arm calculations to all survey sensors. Coordinate Uncertainty Analysis of the final DimCon survey establishes an overall RMS of 0.0001 meters between all established points within the network.“To achieve the highest level of data accuracy day in and day out, our model over the last two decades is simple: we consider the boat as a precision survey instrument, purpose built for the specific survey environment and then
US Navy to Name Oceanographic Survey Ship USNS Robert Ballard
The U.S. Navy's next Pathfinder-class oceanographic survey ship will be named USNS Robert Ballard (T-AGS 67), Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) Carlos Del Toro announced on Wednesday.The name selection follows the tradition of naming survey ships after explorers, oceanographers and distinguished marine surveyors. Widely known as a discoverer of the final resting place of the R.M.S. Titanic, Dr. Robert Ballard is a retired U.S. Navy Commander, former director of the Center for Ocean Exploration, and a tenured professor of oceanography at the University of Rhode Island’s Graduate School
Horizon Maritime Signs On to Support Titanic Dive
mission to explore the wreck of the Titanic.OceanGate Expeditions, the crewed submersible exploration company leading the mission, selected the multipurpose offshore support vessel (OSV) Horizon Arctic to serve as the surface support vessel for the expedition scheduled to take place later this year.The RMS Titanic shipwreck lies approximately 2,500 feet below the ocean's surface, about 370 miles off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada. This expedition will be the first of an annual series that will document the condition of the wreck, the debris field and the marine life found there.“The expedition
Salvors Outline Plan to Recover Titanic's Telegraph System
Marine salvors on Wednesday outlined plans to recover the Marconi wireless telegraph from inside the RMS Titanic after being cleared by a U.S. judge in May to retrieve a piece of history from the world's most famous shipwreck.Originally scheduled to embark on the mission to recover the system this summer, the private company with exclusive rights to salvage artifacts from the ship announced it has shifted its expedition to spring/early summer of 2021 to abide by ongoing travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic."The safety of our crew, ports where we conduct business and foremost the
Safeguarding the Titanic Resting Place
Last month the US and the UK finalized an agreement first signed in 2003 that aims to help protect to the integrity of the RMS Titanic wreck site and its remaining artifacts.Recognizing the importance of the wreck and the need to ensure the vessel would not be subject to looting and unregulated salvage operations, the US Congress adopted the RMS Titanic Maritime Memorial Act. That legislation also provided for NOAA and the U.S. Department of State to negotiate an international agreement with interested nations to protect the site. As a result of that legislation, the US, the UK, France, and Canada
First Manned Dive to the Titanic in 14 Years
bacteria and deep current action, experts found.(Photo: Atlantic Productions)The dive team examined the vessel remains using specially adapted 4K cameras and performed photogrammetry passes that will be used to create highly accurate and photoreal 3D wreck models. These will help researchers to assess the RMS Titanic’s current condition and project its future, and enable the wreck to be visualized using augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technology.Scientists intend to publish the full results alongside a documentary film being made by Atlantic Productions London.The RMS Titanic sank
February 2024
