Press Release September 10, 2001 For Immediate Release Contact Person: Lynn Jourdan (207) 967.0666 Deep Sea Explorers Use Their Skills Close To Home Undersea Expert Nauticos Corporation Finds Underwater Robot Lost Near the Severn River   Hanover, Maryland - Cornell University Scholars were dismayed after losing their costly Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) during a nationwide competition this summer. The academic team had been competing with other institutions of higher learning at an AUV competition sponsored by the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI). Cornell's AUV was lost in the mud in College Creek located just off the Severn River. Several days after the competition, divers searched for the AUV, but came up empty handed due to poor visibility. So AUVSI turned to Nauticos for help. Nauticos Corporation of Hanover, Maryland - a leading expert in the recovery of lost underwater objects worldwide - quickly came to the rescue. A Nauticos team set out on the volunteer mission on a hot August day determined to find the missing AUV. Using a motorboat on loan from the U.S. Naval Academy, they searched using their sophisticated side scan sonar. In less than an hour, Nauticos pinpointed the location of the lost vehicle as their boat passed over it. "We're just glad we could help. Nauticos is used to conducting missions all over the world so it gave us a chance to show our stuff close to home in our own community," said David Jourdan, president of Nauticos Corporation. The AUV is in good condition and Cornell University officials return to Maryland to pick it up from the Nauticos Ship Point Facility on September 8, 2001. Nauticos is in the business of unearthing long-lost underwater articles of historical importance. Although its core business is to support the U.S. Navy, Nauticos has registered a number of other notable ocean discovery successes. Nauticos served as the Operation Manager for the Discovery Channel's live special on the Titanic as well as the search and discovery of the historic Japanese submarine, I-52, sunk by the U.S. Navy during World War II and believed to be carrying $20 million in gold bound for Germany. The Nauticos discovery of one of the Japanese aircraft carriers sunk at the Battle of Midway was featured on the Discovery Channel recently. Another notable Nauticos project was the discovery of the Israeli submarine, Dakar, which disappeared on its maiden voyage in 1968. In 1999, Nauticos pulled off another archaeological coup, finding the deepest, ancient shipwreck known to man. Nauticos specializes in deep-ocean search and underwater problem- solving by providing operational and navigational expertise. Our deep-sea exploration experts offer extensive experience and unique technologies that significantly enhance the success and lower the cost of at-sea operations. These core capabilities enable Nauticos to find any object on the ocean floor at the deepest depths. For pictures of the expedition, check out AUV Recovery Mission. Click here for information on other Nauticos expeditions. Copyright © 1998-2007 Terms under which this service is provided to you. NAUTICOS LLC, All Rights Reserved webmaster@nauticos.com