Have you ever wondered how scientists
find shipwrecks or what kind of suit they use or even how divers get down
in the ocean?
Diving
Divers use aqualung, atmospheric diving suits. In 1942
the aqualung was invented the divers were able to move freely through the
water with the air supply on their backs.
To breath air underwater divers use an air tank that
sends air into your body when you inhale. Divers carry a safety knife with
them when they dive so they can cut snagged fishing nets, and cut sealed
objects open. They wear diving masks so they can see clearly in the water
and they don't let water in. Divers use weight belts so they can sink faster
to their destination.
Wreck location and recovery
One effective way to find a sunken ship is to
ask fishermen where their nets got snagged! Some other ways scientists
find sunken ships is to use devices such as: sonar, side scan sonar, and
magnetometers. It sometimes takes years of research with maps, old writings,
and talking to people to even figure out where to take the search equipment.
Magnetometers create magnetic maps of the seabed. They
show locations of metal objects such as cannons. A sonar surveys the contours
of a wreck once it is found. A side-scan sonar surveys large areas of the
sea-bed using sound waves to produce a clearly definable shadow.
The seabed survey is attached to a cable that is 1,320
feet long and it looks at the bottom of the sea. It then sends the information
to computers so scientists can steer the camera to where they want it. So
they can see what they are looking for.
