Popular Science: 100 years of deep-sea filmmaking and ocean exploration

From my What a Difference a Century Makes—or Not column on Pop Sci

In 1917, a civil engineer pioneered the first deep-sea vehicle to attempt filming underwater.

When Hans Hartman, a civil engineer, attempted to film the ocean depths in 1917, he pioneered what would become the first deep-sea ROV, or remotely operated vehicle. During an era of silent movies and wartime U-boats, Hartman’s ambitious invention—a 1,500-pound electric, submarine camera—could be lowered to a depth of 1,000 feet to capture images of sunken ships and...

100 years of deep-sea filmmaking and ocean exploration

Many thanks to Annie Colbert, Popular Science Editor-in-Chief.

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