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Press Release May 16, 2002 For Immediate Release Contact Person: Lynn Jourdan (207) 967.0666 Nauticos Makes Progress on Amelia Earhart Search Two Thirds of the Search Area Covered Hanover, Maryland - In March and April, a team of ocean explorers from Nauticos Corporation conducted a deep sea search for Amelia Earhart's lost Lockheed Electra. The team sailed aboard the R/V Davidson and was supported with equipment and in-kind services from a number of organizations, including the U.S. Navy (through a cooperative research agreement with the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command), Rockwell Collins, Kongsberg-Simrad, and James Cameron - Earthship Productions. The $1.7 million expedition was funded largely by Nauticos, with significant support from private investors. The expedition was led by Elgen Long, famed aviator and Earhart researcher, author (with his wife Marie) of Amelia Earhart: The Mystery Solved. Operations were managed by Nauticos executive vice president Tom Dettweiler, veteran of numerous deep ocean discoveries, including the Titanic, the Japanese submarine I-52, and the Israeli submarine Dakar. A search area was developed using Nauticos' proprietary RENAV to analyze the wealth of data collected by the Longs and others. The search was conducted with a deep-sea sonar system developed by Nauticos called NOMAD, which was towed near the bottom of the Pacific Ocean at the end of a 10,000 meter (33,000 feet) steel-armored, fiber-optic cable. The expedition was to have lasted 60 days, with 40 days search time to cover at least 600-square nautical miles. However, six weeks into the mission, after 27 days of survey, the cable winch hydraulic system failed, ending operations. The NOMAD sonar system performed flawlessly, covering 630-square nautical miles of ocean bottom at a depth of 18,000 feet at better than one meter resolution. During one deployment, NOMAD was at depth for a record 257 hours, nearly eleven days of continuous operation. NOMAD remains fully capable of deep ocean operations. "We accomplished a tremendous amount, having covered two-thirds of our search and gaining great experience operating in this area. We have begun winch repairs and plan to return to the site near Howland Island in the near future to complete the search," said David Jourdan, Nauticos president. Founded by Jourdan in 1986, Nauticos conducts deep-ocean exploration and recovery missions for the U.S. Navy, and provides engineering and technical support to government, industry and scientific organizations. The company also endeavors to find, preserve and protect underwater cultural heritage for future generations. The company is headquartered in Hanover, Maryland. |
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