A Drone Plumbed The Gulf Of Mexico’s Watery Depths And Found A Shipwreck Seemingly Frozen In Time
Far below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean, a drone is scanning the seabed. Hundreds of feet above, the crew of the Okeanos Explorer wait patiently for a glimpse into the deep. Suddenly, something completely unexpected looms into view: the wreck of a forgotten vessel abandoned beneath the waves.
Vital mission
Four days earlier, on May 12, 2019, a team of researchers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, had set out from Pascagoula in Mississippi. En route to Key West, Florida, their mission was to sail across the Gulf of Mexico, carrying out vital tests and exercises along the way. But they ended up finding something completely unexpected.
Strange transmission
Known as a shakedown, this 13-day expedition was designed to prepare equipment and train researchers ahead of a packed schedule of activity throughout 2019. As such, the Okeanos Explorer was not equipped to conduct any rigorous scientific research. However, when drones using sonar picked up something strange on the seafloor, the mission took a very different turn.
Sending out ROV
To all intents and purposes, the first few days of the mission proceeded as planned. Then, on May 16, the Okeanos Explorer neared the Florida Escarpment, some 160 miles off the coast of the United States. And it was here, close to the edge of the vast undersea cliff, that the team decided to test out their latest remotely operated vehicle, or ROV.
Surprise wreck
In order to get to grips with the ROV, the crew of the Okeanos Explorer launched what is known as an engineering dive. One of three such missions, it would allow the researchers to calibrate various aspects of the new technology. But when the drone, known as Deep Discoverer reached a depth of 1,640 feet, its sonar detected an unexpected shipwreck resting on the ocean floor.
