The expedition led by famed oceanographer Robert Ballard captured on
Tuesday the wreckage of the USS Independence, located half a mile under
the sea in the Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary.
Scientists aboard the ocean research ship Nautilus lowered two unmanned
submersibles to the ocean floor to find a Hellcat fighter plane,
anti-aircraft guns, hatches and the ship's name on the hull.
"What's so wonderful about the wrecks in deeper water, like this ship,
the Titanic and the Bismarck, is that they are in amazing states of
preservation," Ballard said. "There's very little change from when the
Navy scuttled it" in 1951.
"The deep sea is the largest museum on Earth."
Samples of marine life growing on the ship will be brought onboard to be
tested for possible radioactivity remaining from the bomb tests, as
well as to be analyzed for the effects of climate change.
Scientists plan to explore the wreckage of a historic steam yacht from
1886 and the freighter Dorothy Windermote as part of the four-month
expedition.
Earlier this month, the Nautilus team discovered a "googly eyed" stubby
squid while combing the sea floor off the California coast. Video of the
researchers delighting in the discovery became an Internet sensation.
To watch round-the-clock video of the expedition, visit www.nautiluslive.org
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