The high-definition photos are of excellent quality.
In literally the final hours of the expedition they were successful in deploying a crude but functional camera system – dubbed the “Hail Mary” – that captured 170 high definition images of the bottom in the vicinity of the anomaly. Nonetheless, the ROV team never gave up trying to contrive some way to investigate the anomaly.
#Investigate an anomaly detected on shark island not working series#
On this trip the contractor brought extra spare components expecting to be able to handle any problems that should arise, but an unprecedented series of component malfunctions ultimately led to the failure of the vehicle’s main computer motherboard. On both the 20 expeditions we had a second back-up ROV but in neither case was the second ROV needed. The ROV Team, L to R: TIGHAR members Walt Holm and John Clauss, ROV contractor Ron Bernier of Advanced Remote Marine Services, preparing the Seabotix vLBV9500 for an early test dive. We had no choice but to go with what we had. Delaying the expedition would mean canceling the charter, losing everything we had paid, and starting the fundraising all over again. The expedition vessel was booked for a particular time period – June 8 to July 1 – and had other charters booked for the rest of the year. Delaying the expedition until more money was raised was not an option. We wanted and intended to have a second ROV aboard as a back-up but due to a last minute cascade of unexpected additional expenses we simply could not afford the cost. The greatest frustration was the total meltdown of the ROV we were counting on to investigate the anomaly detected in the side-scan sonar imagery from the 2012 expedition. The lines running to the reef are just visible. In this drone photo Nai’a is positioned over the anomaly location. Jonathan Smith succeeded in mooring the ship off the west end of the atoll over the anomaly location by using the prevailing winds from the east to hold Nai’a against two lines to the reef – one to the wreck of SS Norwich City and one to the reef edge north of the Bevington Object location. As planned and promised, Nai’a co-owner Rob Barrel and Capt. TIGHAR photo by Walt Holm.Īfter a five-day, thousand-mile voyage from Fiji, the expedition vessel Nai’a arrived at Nikumaroro on June 13. The wreck of SS Norwich City rusts on the reef where it went aground in 1929. It was a rough trip fraught with high seas and high drama.įorbidding and beautiful. The Earhart Project: Niku VIII Preliminary Report
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