| Hibbard Inshore - Technology - Archeology |
The remote operated vehicle (ROV) has proved a valuable ally to archeologists and others interested in underwater treasures. Not only can the ROV locate and survey archeological sites at incredible depths with sonar and video, it can actually use manipulators and other tools to retrieve priceless objects. Perhaps one of the most well-known users of ROV technology is Bob Ballard. He has used a world-class fleet of submersibles to locate the final resting places of vessels like the R.M.S. Titanic, the Bismarck, and the Lusitania. In 1997, Ballard and his team of scientists conducted the first deep-ocean archaeological expedition. The group traveled to the Mediterranean Sea for an expedition to a previously identified debris field suggesting the presence of a fleet of ancient Roman shipwrecks dating to the fourth century A.D. Using the U.S. Navy's deep-sea nuclear research submarine, the NR. 1, they found ships complete with their cargo of shipping containers and column stones spanning five centuries of Roman history beginning in the first century B.C. There is seemingly no end to what ROVs can do!
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