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Nauticos News Night 2 — BBQ

It’s News Night on Mermaid Vigilance! Nauticos hosts a BBQ and interviews team members as the Eustace Earhart Discovery Expedition team heads south west towards the Central Pacific.

Nauticos News Night — 1

It’s News Night on Mermaid Vigilance! At -sea correspondent Marika Lorraine reporting as the Eustace Earhart Discovery Expedition heads south west towards the Central Pacific.

Eustace Earhart Discovery Expedition

Nauticos Embarks on the Eustace Earhart Discovery Expedition

Eustace Earhart Discovery ExpeditionA group of ocean explorers has gotten underway on an expedition to the equatorial Pacific Ocean.  We intend to search a wide area of ocean floor which may be the resting place of the Amelia Earhart aircraft.  This discovery would end one of the world’s greatest mysteries and locate a priceless piece of aviation history.

The group is named the Eustace Earhart Discovery Expedition, and is led by stratospheric explorer Alan Eustace.  Expedition management is provided by Nauticos LLC.  The oceanographic systems laboratory from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, is using the REMUS 6000 autonomous underwater vehicle for the search.  The not for profit SeaWord Foundation, is providing educational opportunities and outreach programs.

Research Vessel R/V Mermaid Vigilance
Research Vessel R/V Mermaid Vigilance

In addition to the advanced technology that we’ll be using in the search, Nauticos will be extending itself to schools, youth groups and aviation and ocean enthusiasts around the world who want to share in the discovery experience.  I would like to invite you to follow the expedition as well.  We will be contributing  news, photos and videos to the Expedition Portal, where you can also sign up for future email updates.

ExpeditionPortal.Nauticos.com

This portal will be updated frequently and will be the best way to keep abreast of the progress of the expedition.  You are welcome to check it often.  You are also welcome to share this with anyone you know who might like to follow us.

We left Honolulu February 18 and expect to be at sea for 30-45 days.  I hope you enjoy sailing with us.

–Dave & the Nauticos team

New Book on Sale Now

David W. Jourdan’s Newest Book

 Published June 2015, from Potomac Books (an imprint of University of Nebraska Press)

The Search for the Japanese Fleet

USS Nautilus and the Battle of Midway 

by David W. Jourdan, with Foreword by Philip G. Renaud

In The Search for the Japanese Fleet, David W. Jourdan, one of the world’s experts in undersea exploration, reconstructs the critical role one submarine played in the Battle of Midway, considered to be the turning point of the war in the Pacific. In the direct line of fire during this battle was one of the oldest boats in the navy, USS Nautilus. The actions of Lt. Cdr. William Brockman and his ninety-three-man crew during an eight-hour period rank among the most important submarine contributions to the most decisive engagement in U.S. Navy history.

MidwayPotomacBooksdraft2

Fifty-seven years later, Jourdan’s team of deep-sea explorers set out to discover the history of the Battle of Midway and find the ships that the Allied fleet sank. Key to the mystery was Nautilus and its underwater exploits. Relying on logs, diaries, chronologies, manuals, sound recordings, and interviews with veterans of the battle, including men who spent most of June 4, 1942, in the submarine conning tower, the story breathes new life into the history of this epic engagement. Woven into the tale of World War II is the modern drama of deep-sea discovery, as explorers deploy new technology three miles beneath the ocean surface to uncover history and commemorate fallen heroes.

 

 

 

 

The 73rd Anniversary of the Battle of Midway

Servicemen and women are recognized annually during Veterans’ Day, but another day of commemoration is coming up: the 73rd anniversary of the Battle of Midway. Fought from June 4 to 7, 1942, the epic engagement halted Japanese expansion and was the Pacific turning point of World War II. My new book, The Search for the Japanese Fleet, remembers the heroes of Midway, particularly the ninety-three men of USS Nautilus, who fought bravely, played a key role in the U.S. victory, and risked all to stand for freedom. The book features interviews with some of the men who were there. Though most have passed on to “Eternal Patrol,” a few remain with us. I have recently become acquainted with Henry “Hank” Kudzik, who served on Nautilus from 1942-44, and Jerry Gross, who was a young Machinist Mate on board during the battle, and sailed with the submarine through 1943. Kudzik will be attending this year’s annual Midway commemoration hosted by the Naval Submarine League (http://www.midwaycommemoration.org), and will be presented an autographed copy of my book in recognition of his service. In the words of Harold “Buzz” Lee, radioman on board Nautilus during the battle, “… that terrible day of June 4th, 1942 should never be forgotten by any American, ever.”

Buzz Lee with ADM Nimitz
Radioman First Class Harold “Buzz” Lee is decorated by Admiral Chester Nimitz, Commander in Chief U.S. Pacific Fleet, on the occasion of the award of the Presidential Unit Citation to USS Nautilus, December 1942. The citation read in part, “For outstanding performance in combat during three aggressive war patrols in enemy-controlled waters.” Courtesy Harold Lee.

The Connection between Ocean and Space Exploration

There is a strong connection between ocean and space exploration, both in terms of technology as well as in the spirit of discovery. Over the last few years, Nauticos has been working with World View Enterprises, a company that works in extreme environments in space and underwater. Their latest project is developing a system to loft a manned capsule to the edge of space using a stratospheric balloon. At 100,000 feet, Voyagers will see the black of space, the atmosphere below, and the curvature of the earth, as shown in this test flight footage. The World View system will be used for science, technology, and tourism. See http://worldviewexperience.com.

World View’s high-altitude balloon
World View’s high-altitude balloon will let Voyagers gently soar for hours along the frontier of space.