Robert BallardBorn 30 Jun 1942. Robert Duane Ballard is an American oceanographer and explorer who, as a pioneer of deep-sea submarines, has conducted over than 120 expeditions, including the discovery and exploration of the deep-sea wreck of R. M. S. Titanic. He has also made underwater explorations of the wrecks of the Bismarck, Lusitania and Britannic. His interest in marine technology began when at age 19, he had a job at the Ocean Systems Group. By 1974 he had a Ph.D. in geology and geophysics, joined Woods Hole as a marine scientist and began years of marine mapping. He made the first discovery of deep-sea thermal vents off the Galápagos Islands, with abundant plant and animal life in warm springs. He later investigated the “black smokers” of underwater volcanoes in the Pacific Rise. From 1980, he pursued deep-sea exploration of lost history.« |
