Underwater Engineer

This past March, a team of scientists and archaeologists made an exciting discovery in the waters around Antarctica. They found the wreck of a ship called  Endurance. The ship sank in 1915 after being crushed by sea ice. Led by famous explorer Ernest Shackleton, the Endurance crew made a dangerous journey across the frozen ocean. Amazingly, they all survived. But the lost ship’s exact location remained a mystery for 106 years.

Nico Vincent led the underwater search for the wreck. He’s a subsea engineer and commercial diver. Vincent has spent years searching for shipwrecks. This, he says, was the most challenging search of his career.

This past March, a team of scientists and archaeologists made an exciting discovery. They traveled to Antarctica and searched the waters around it. Eventually, they found the wreck of a ship called Endurance. The ship was crushed by sea ice in 1915. It sank. The Endurance crew had to cross the frozen ocean. They were led by Ernest Shackleton. He was a famous explorer. Amazingly, the entire crew survived the dangerous journey. But the ship was lost. Its exact location remained a mystery for 106 years.

Nico Vincent led the underwater search for the wreck. He’s a subsea engineer and commercial diver. Vincent has spent years searching for shipwrecks. This, he says, was the most challenging search of his career.

First, Vincent and his team created a search grid. They released a pair of underwater drones. The drones steered themselves along a path over the grid. They mapped the seafloor using sonar, which relies on sound waves to measure an object’s distance.

The surface of the water was covered in floating sheets of ice roughly 6 feet thick. “We had to engineer our tools from scratch to handle the environment,” Vincent says. To stop the drones from getting lost beneath the ice, a fiber-optic cable kept them tethered to the expedition ship. This connection also allowed a human pilot to take control in an emergency. “We had to be prepared for the unexpected,” explains Vincent.

First, Vincent and his team created a search grid. They released a pair of underwater drones. The drones steered themselves along a path over the grid. They mapped the seafloor using sonar. Sonar uses sound waves to measure an object’s distance.

The surface of the water was covered in floating sheets of ice. Each sheet was roughly 6 feet thick. “We had to engineer our tools from scratch to handle the environment,” Vincent says. A fiber-optic cable kept the drones tethered to Vincent’s ship. This connection stopped the drones from getting lost beneath the ice. It also allowed a human pilot to take control in an emergency. “We had to be prepared for the unexpected,” explains Vincent.

After two weeks of searching, Vincent’s team spotted a ship-shaped object on the sonar images. It was lying on the seafloor, nearly 2 miles below the surface. They sent the drone in for a closer look. What the sonar had shown was the Endurance! The ship had been well-preserved in the cold water.

Vincent’s team took 3-D scans to create a virtual model of the wreck. Now the world can see it.

“I’m proud to be part of Shackleton’s legacy,” he says.

Vincent’s team searched for two weeks. Finally, they spotted an object on the sonar images. It was lying on the seafloor, nearly 2 miles below the surface. It was shaped like a ship. They sent the drone in for a closer look. It was the Endurance! The ship had been well-preserved in the cold water.

Vincent’s team took 3-D scans of their find. They created a virtual model of the wreck. Now the world can see it.

“I’m proud to be part of Shackleton’s legacy,” he says.