Historic aircraft wreck brought to light in the Mediterranean thanks to underwater robot

In an underwater discovery carried out in the depths of the Mediterranean, an autonomous robotic vehicle detected a historic aircraft that sank decades ago. The robot, which operates offline and performs detailed mapping of the seabed, encountered a striking metal object at a depth of 65 meters. Examinations conducted by experts determined that this object was a famous 1940s-era British "Fairey Swordfish" torpedo bomber. The aircraft's approximately 11-meter fuselage remains largely intact despite the passage of time.

Information obtained from the Ministry of Defence archives, along with 3D modeling techniques, shed light on the history of the warplane.

According to the research, this aircraft, belonging to the 830th Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy, experienced engine failure shortly after taking off on April 19, 1941. Robotic inspections confirmed that the position of the propellers indicated the pilot had successfully performed an emergency landing and that the crew had safely exited before the aircraft sank.

The underwater robots used in this project, conducted jointly by the University of Malta and Harvey Mudd College, are capable of collecting data continuously for up to 20 hours at depths that would be dangerous for divers. Dr. Timmy Gambin from the project team stated, "This technology is revolutionizing the documentation of our cultural heritage by providing centimeter-level precision measurements."

The discovered wreck has been included under the status of "protected underwater cultural heritage" belonging to the United Kingdom within the framework of international agreements. Researchers emphasized that any future work on the wreck will be carried out using only non-destructive techniques to avoid damaging the fuselage.

Scientists are working to develop software that will allow underwater robots to detect historical objects even in low-visibility conditions with the support of artificial intelligence. Thus, it has once again been demonstrated that autonomous technologies play a critical role not only in engineering but also in archaeological discoveries.

News Source: 12punto