Underwater Drones Are Exploring Shipwrecks Below The Gulf Of Mexico—And What They’ve Found Is Incredible
Among many incredible finds, researchers have discovered never-before-seen, unidentified shipwrecks located thousands of feet below the surface. That there are many secrets hidden beneath the ocean is no mystery. That we haven’t had the time nor interest in exploring these secrets also isn’t a mystery. However, Scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are conducting an expedition to explore the many shipwrecks located in the uncharted water in some of the deepest parts of the Gulf of Mexico, and what they’ve recorded is beyond fascinating. In order to explore the unknown, researchers used remote-controlled submersible vehicles, discovering never-before-seen details and investigating different shipwrecks on the ocean floor, located in the most remote, least-explored pars of the Gulf of Mexico. Among the discoveries, researchers uncovered German U-boats, as well as pirate vessels believed to date back to the 19th century. Now, using modern technology, experts are trying to learn as much as they can about the histories and fates of these ships, which the ocean claimed in the distant past. Among the discoveries, experts from NOAA found the remains of a tugboat, named New Hope, which sank in a tropical storm in the 1960’s. While the ship sank, the Coast Guard luckily saved the crew from going down with the ship. Seen here is the bow and view into the hull of what is believed to be the wreck of the tugboat New Hope. Image credit: NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Gulf of Mexico 2018. Speaking about the shipwreck of the New Hope, experts from NOAA said: “On September 29, 1965, New Hope encountered the strong winds and high seas of Tropical Storm Debbie off the Louisiana coast. With the crew having trouble pumping water out of the hull, the U.S. Coast Guard received a distress call around 1 AM and dispatched an aircraft to deploy a backup pump. Also, on board, the aircraft was the latest in Search and Rescue technology: a floating radio beacon for use with a radio direction finder. In use, the beacon is dropped close to the distressed vessel to mark its position and to act as a drifting reference. The seven-member crew boarded a life raft and abandoned the foundering New Hope at 3 AM, just as the aircraft arrived to mark its position with the beacon. Staying on the scene until daylight, the aircraft vectored a Coast Guard helicopter to the raft to conduct a safe rescue of the entire crew.” But New Hope is just one of the many shipwrecks photographed by the underwater mission. Check out some more images courtesy of NOAA. An unidentified shipwreck discovered by industry mapping surveys. According to NOAA, it appeared to be a portion of a wooden vessel with a few metal items inside. Image credit: NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Gulf of Mexico 2018. Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Gulf of Mexico 2018. Deep Discoverer explored an unknown shipwreck identified by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management simply as “ID Number 15377.” Image credit: NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Gulf of Mexico 2018. Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Gulf of Mexico 2018. Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Gulf of Mexico 2018. Not a shipwreck but a natural extrusion of tar on the floor of the Gulf of Mexico. Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Gulf of Mexico 2012. View inside the conning tower of the German U-boat U-166. Image courtesy of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. Seen here is the bow of a ship that’s believed to be a privateer. Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Gulf of Mexico 2012. Source: NOAA Image Credit: NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research
