Robert Ballard News

A French robot that can dive to 20,000 feet (6,000 meters) underwater is on its way to help find a tourist submersible that vanished as it descended to the Titanic wreck and it could help free the sub if it is trapped, its operator said on Wednesday.The unmanned robot, called Victor 6000, can dive deeper than other equipment now at the site in the North Atlantic and has arms that can be remotely controlled to cut cables or perform other maneuvers to release a stuck vessel, the operator said.The robot…

Researchers from NOAA, the state of Michigan, and Ocean Exploration Trust discovered an intact shipwreck resting hundreds of feet below the surface of Lake Huron. Located within NOAA's Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, the shipwreck has been identified as the sailing ship Ironton. Well preserved by the cold freshwater of the Great Lakes for over a century, the 191-ft. Ironton rests upright with its three masts still standing."Using this cutting-edge technology, we have not only located a pristine shipwreck lost for over a century…

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…

Ocean explorer and scientist Dr. Robert D. Ballard opens up on his personal life and his world-famous ocean discoveries like never before in his new book, “Into the Deep.” Best known as ‘the man who found the Titanic,’ Marine Technology Reporter had the opportunity to interview Ballard on the contents of the book, a book released yesterday with a follow-up National Geographic television special scheduled for June 14, 2021, taking a deep dive into his dyslexia, the importance of his family throughout his career…

For the first time ever, the general public will be admitted free to the Naval Future Force Science and Technology EXPO general exhibit hall Feb. 4-5 where they will be able to see the Electromagnetic Railgun, an autonomous swarmboat, a firefighting robot and much more. Held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., the EXPO is the Navy's premiere science and technology (S&T) event, held every two years to showcase some of the Navy's latest technologies and bring together the brightest minds from around the world to share information, discuss research opportunities and build S&T partnerships between the Navy, Marine Corps, industry and academia.

The U.S. The Electromagnetic Railgun – a weapon that the U.S. Navy says will play a significant role in its future – will be on display to the public for the first time on the East Coast Feb. 4-5 at the Naval Future Force Science and Technology (S&T) EXPO in Washington, D.C., officials at the Office of Naval Research (ONR) announced. With Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Jonathan Greenert set as the event's keynote speaker on Feb. 4, the EXPO promises to be a window into the future of the U.S. Navy, showcasing the latest advances in power projection and force protection.

The Electromagnetic Railgun-a weapon that will play a significant role in the future of the U.S. Navy-will be on display to the public for the first time on the East Coast Feb. 4-5 at the Naval Future Force Science and Technology (S&T) EXPO in Washington, D.C., officials at the Office of Naval Research (ONR) announced Jan. 13. With Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Jonathan Greenert set as the event's keynote speaker on Feb. 4, the EXPO promises to be a window into the future of the U.S. Navy, showcasing the latest advances in power projection and force protection. "This year's Expo will showcase the naval portfolio of innovative breakthrough technologies that are shaping our warfighting tactics today and changing the way our Sailors and Marines will operate in the future…

Forum Energy Technologies announce the placement of a Sub-Atlantic Mohawk™ observation class ROV at the 'Titanic' Belfast Museum. Forum Subsea Technologies, a business line of Forum Energy Technologies, Inc. of Houston, Texas, has placed on permanent display a Sub-Atlantic Mohawk™ observation class remotely operated vehicle (ROV) at the Titanic Belfast Museum to help tell the story of the RMS Titanic. The newly opened Titanic Belfast Museum, the world's largest Titanic visitor attraction, is located in the heart of Belfast. In 1985, Robert Ballard, Jean-Louis Michel and their French-American team finally located the wreckage of one of the most famous and tragic ships in history.

On April 23, 2012, Dr. Stephen M. Coan delivered remarks entitled “The Future of Our Ocean”, part of the Open VISIONS Forum Lecture Series and presented at the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts, Fairfield University, Fairfield, Conn. Following is the text of his speech. Water sustains life on Earth, and the health of our oceans, lakes, rivers, streams and marshlands, which cover 70% of the planet’s surface, is critically important to global economic and human health. Imagine this vast environment and what it could mean for us if we were able to better harvest food…

"Never in the history of the maritime industry have so many port states become involved in a casualty and imposed so many unilateral rules - without consultation with the industry and without the cause of the accident being properly investigated," he said. "Ships trade worldwide and need a common set of rules. Great difficulty for international shipping will result if these precedents are followed by other port states worldwide. Dr Payer said there appeared to be nothing to stop any port state hijacking the handling of a casualty and ignoring internationally agreed IMO Conventions, as well as brushing aside the customary role of masters, owners and flag states and time-honoured maritime practices and traditions.

Crowley Liner Services is in the process of transporting one 20-ft. flatbed and one 20-ft. unique satellite equipment from Houston, Texas to Panama as part of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute's Jason Project, a research and learning series on rainforests. The cargo departed Houston by ship on Jan. 2 and is expected to arrive in Panama January 9. Crowley was chosen for the job by Total Export of Florida Inc. and Leblanc Enterprises, Ltd. The satellite, which is the only one like it in the world, required careful handling by Crowley and was secured onto the vessel for transport with hooks and wires. The satellite and its production equipment will allow the broadcast of 55 shows (five shows per day for 11 days) for JASON XV: Rainforests at the Crossroads…

Dr. Robert Ballard and an interdisciplinary team of scientists will explore the fascinating undersea landscape of NOAA's Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (FGBNMS). One of the 13 U.S. national marine sanctuaries, the FGBNMS is located approximately 115 miles off the Texas/Louisiana coast. Named for its colorful corals and sponges, the sanctuary was targeted for exploration because of its unique geology and biology. Its geological history also makes it a viable location to search for evidence of early human habitation that could predate current evidence of North America's first inhabitants. This expedition represents a unique collaboration between the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)…

View of the USS Monitor wreck, which sank on Dec. 31, 1862, and now teams with marine life. NOAA and Immersion Presents launched oceanslive.org, a marine science portal that offers live video and special content to educate people of all ages about the ocean, including national marine sanctuaries. Immersion Presents is an after-school science education program founded by ocean explorer Robert Ballard. "NOAA is excited to offer this dynamic Internet-based resource, which will allow students, educators and the public to share in the thrill of discovery while learning more about the natural and cultural treasures of our national marine sanctuaries and the underwater world," said NOAA National Marine Sanctuary program director Daniel J. Basta.

The oldest remains of seafaring ships in the world have been found in caves at the edge of the Egyptian desert along with cargo boxes that suggest ancient Egyptians sailed nearly 1,000 miles on rough waters to get treasures from a place they called God's Land, or Punt. Florida State University anthropology professor Cheryl Ward has determined that wooden planks found in the manmade caves are about 4,000 years old - making them the world's most ancient ship timbers. Shipworms that had tunneled into the planks indicated the ships had weathered a long voyage of a few months, likely to the fabled southern Red Sea trading center of Punt, a place referenced in hieroglyphics on empty cargo boxes found in the caves.

Dr. William Anderson, director of the Department of History, Arts and Libraries (HAL), today announced the appointment of State Archaeologist John R. Halsey to the Joint Management Committee administering the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and Preserve off the coast of Alpena. Halsey, who represents Michigan on the federal-state committee, will serve a two-year term expiring Jan. 1, 2005. The other member of the Joint Management Committee is Daniel J. Basta, director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Marine Sanctuary Program. "The unique federal-state partnership at Thunder Bay presents a tremendous opportunity to teach people about Great Lakes maritime history…