Nauticos Corporation News

A team of underwater search experts from the U.S. has located the wreckage of Israeli submarine Dakar in 9,600 fsw in the Eastern Mediterranean. The search team, headed by Nauticos Corporation of Hanover, Md., consisted of Williamson and Associates of Seattle, and Phoenix Marine, Inc. of Arlington, Va. Initial detection of the wreck was accomplished using a side scan sonar system. After detecting a strong target on two sonar passes, the search team deployed a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) to perform a detailed video inspection of the wreck. Video images from the ROV enabled topside naval experts to positively identify the wreck as Dakar. Dakar and its 69 member crew disappeared mysteriously on January 25, 1968.

Nauticos Corporation of Hanover, Md., promoted Tom Dettweiler to general manager and executive vice president. In his new capacity, Dettweiler will oversee the day-to-day operations of the company. He has been with Nauticos for 10 years and previously served as director of operations. Dettweiler's 25 years of experience include serving as a science officer for renowned ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau aboard the Calypso. He also ran a business in deep-sea mining and served as operations manager for Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute's Deep Submerge as well as much work in support of the U.S. government. In addition, Dettweiler was operations manager for the expeditions that led to the discovery of the Titanic in 1985.

President George W. Bush appointed Julie A. Nelson as the Deputy Administrator of the Maritime Administration on October 6, 2006. Nelson took over the responsibilities of the Acting Deputy Maritime Administrator on May 1, upon the resignation of John Jamian and before the confirmation of Sean T. Connaughton as Maritime Administrator. Nelson officially joined the agency as Chief Counsel in August 2005. Nelson has extensive experience in the Maritime Industry and Admiralty Law, which gives her a solid understanding of the work done within the Maritime Administration. Nelson joins MARAD from Oceaneering International, Inc., an ocean engineering development group, where she served as General Manager and Maritime/Contracts Attorney.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta announced the appointment of Julie Nelson as Chief Counsel for the Department’s Maritime Administration. “Julie brings the right combination of experience to the job,” said Acting Maritime Administrator John Jamian. “Her experience in industry and her credentials in the field of Maritime and Admiralty Law give her a solid understanding of the work we do here,” he said. Nelson joins MARAD from Oceaneering International, Inc., an ocean engineering development group, where she served as General Manager and Maritime/Contracts Attorney. Previously she served as General Counsel and General Manager for Nauticos Corporation of Hanover, MD, also a high-technology ocean engineering firm. Nelson received her B.G.S.

The loss of the Israeli submarine DAKAR on its maiden voyage in 1968, and the discovery by Nauticos Corporation thirty years later, is the subject of a National Geographic Channel (NGC) underwater documentary that will air Friday, November 29th. The DAKAR was a WWII “T-class” boat, built by the British, and sold to the Israelis after modifications, upgrades, and sea trials. In 1968, the DAKAR was en route to Haifa via Gibraltar on its maiden voyage for delivery to the operational fleet. During this transit, communications inexplicably ceased and the submarine was never heard from again. Decade long efforts to locate the sub and determine its fate proved unsuccessful. Under contract for the Israeli Navy, Nauticos Corporation along with subcontractors Williamson & Associates, Inc.