Ballard, Robert Duane

▪ 1998

      In 1997 American oceanographer Robert Ballard inaugurated a new era in archaeology with the discovery of eight ancient ships, including one that dated to 200 BC, 760 m (2,500 ft) below an old trade route in the Mediterranean Sea. Whereas previous maritime explorations had largely been limited to depths of 60 m (200 ft), Ballard and a team of archaeologists, oceanographers, and deep-sea specialists were able to locate the wreckage by using a nuclear-powered submarine equipped with long-range sonar. Robot vessels then photographed the site and retrieved artifacts. Found in deep water, the ships were well preserved, not subjected to the looting and coral layering that occured in shallow-water sites. The finding introduced deep-sea archaeology and established Ballard, already noted for his discovery of the Titanic, as "curator of the world's underwater museum."

      Born on June 30, 1942, in Wichita, Kan., Ballard grew up in San Diego, Calif., where he developed a fascination with the ocean. He attended the University of California, Santa Barbara, earning degrees in chemistry and geology in 1965. As a member of the Reserve Officers Training Corps, he entered the army following graduation, serving a two-year tour before requesting a transfer to the navy. In 1967 he was assigned to the Woods Hole (Mass.) Oceanographic Research Institution, becoming a full-time marine scientist in 1974 after completing his doctoral degrees in marine geology and geophysics at the University of Rhode Island. At Woods Hole he was involved in more than 65 expeditions. For Project FAMOUS (French-American Mid-Ocean Undersea Study), Ballard helped develop Alvin, a three-person submersible equipped with a mechanical arm, which was used to map the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, an underwater mountain chain in the Atlantic Ocean. In 1977 he was part of an expedition that uncovered thermal vents in the Galapagos Rift. The presence of plant and animal life within these deep-sea warm springs led to the discovery of chemosynthesis, the chemical synthesis of food energy.

      To advance deepwater exploration, Ballard designed a series of high-tech vessels, most notably the Argo-Jason, an automated system that enabled a remote-controlled camera to explore the ocean depths while transmitting live images to a monitor; scientists thus could survey the site and maneuver the camera. It was used to locate the Titanic and numerous other shipwrecks, including the Lusitania and Bismarck. Ballard, a commander in the navy, left Woods Hole in 1997 to head the Institute for Exploration, Mystic, Conn., a centre for deep-sea archaeology.

AMY TIKKANEN

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