02 Sep , 09:33
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Sensation: search for "Titanic" turned out to be a cover for a secret US military operation
As reported by TUT.AZ, famous oceanographer Robert Ballard revealed to CNN the shocking truth about the legendary 1985 expedition.
"At that time, many didn't know that the search for the 'Titanic' was a cover for a top-secret military operation that I was conducting as a US naval intelligence officer... We didn't want the Soviet Union to know where our submarine was," Ballard said.
Robert Ballard, on the 40th anniversary of the discovery of the "Titanic," revealed details of this secret operation. Its main goal was to locate the American nuclear submarines Thresher and Scorpion that had sunk in the Atlantic. For this purpose, an innovative technology developed by Ballard and called "Argo" was used. It allowed video transmission from the ocean floor via a remotely operated research vehicle to the ship.
Ballard convinced the US Navy leadership to allocate time and resources within the expedition to search for the "Titanic." Despite years of careful planning for the operation, Ballard did not have high hopes regarding the possibility of finding the sunken liner.
The main reason was the limited time allocated for the search, as well as the use by a competing French team, led by engineer Jean-Louis Michel, of the newest and most sophisticated ship-based sonar system. This advanced technology was supposed to help determine the exact location of the legendary ship's sinking more quickly. However, even it did not guarantee success within the strict time constraints.
The scientist also revealed that studying the remains of the Scorpion helped him discover the site of the "Titanic's" demise. He noticed that a large vessel after sinking left behind a long chain of debris, although it was previously thought that they would be grouped in one place. "Heavier objects immediately sank to the bottom, but lighter ones descended more slowly," the specialist explained.
