Robert Ballard's Shipwrecks

The beginning of ocean exploration occurred in the early 1800s, however in recent years, Robert Ballard, a marine biologist, was able to advance these expeditions (especially for the U.S. Navy) through his discoveries of famous shipwrecks and archaeological explorations in the late 1970s. With more in depth ocean exploration, the U.S. Navy was able to decipher whether previous submarine wrecks containing nuclear weapon affected the environment or were they neutralized by the years of water contamination. His findings allowed the government to make decisions on how to handle radioactive weapons as well as assess its impact on the environment. Ballard’s expeditions led to the amelioration of the U.S. Navy’s power, management of threatening

These are the three main nuclear powered submarines that are currently utilized in the U.S. Navy. They have sunk many ships during battle especially during World War II and during the attacks on Pearl Harbor. Robert Ballard explores the depths of the ocean in search of explanations as to why the U.S. Navy was able to defeat the Japanese to easily . In that particular exploration, he discovered the infamous ship, the Lusitania (Ballard and Dunmore 29). The ship was known for its safe voyages, pristine and innovative technology in the naval world, and notorious ability to to withstand any situation (NOAA). The lost of the Lusitania provoked great outrage in the United States and encouraged the public to allow America to join the war. It also marked the end of "civilized" manners of warfare in the 19th century. Ballard answered the question on how the ship sunk and proved some conspiracies were just that, false rumors to rouse people. This discovery of the sad shipwreck allowed future submarines to learn that coal was not a good source of fuel because that was what lead to the second explosion that sunk the ship (Ballard and Dunmore