Robert Ballard
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Dr. Robert Duane "Bob" Ballard (born June 30, 1942) grew up in San Diego, California and became a scuba diver. He is a marine geologist, geophysicist, and submarine explorer affiliated with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. He is best known for finding the remains of the RMS Titanic on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean in 1985 after a long search. Other notable finds are the German battleship Bismarck, the USS Yorktown (CV-5), an expediton to Iron Bottom Sound, and PT-109, the boat once commanded by John F. Kennedy.
In 1995, Dr. Ballard dove to the wreck of the S.S. Andrea Doria, which capsized and sank off the coast of Massachusetts in 1956 after colliding with another passenger-carrying oceanliner. He has also done important work for the U.S. Navy on the wreck sites of the nuclear-powered submarines U.S.S. Thresher (SSN-593), lost in 1963 and U.S.S. Scorpion (SSN-589) lost in 1968.
Recently he has explored sites underneath the Black Sea and several deep sea Phoenician shipwrecks from the Iron Age off the coast of Israel not far from the ancient port of Ashkelon.
In 2004, Dr. Ballard was appointed professor of oceanography at the Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island.
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de:Robert Ballardfr:Robert Duane Ballard pl:Robert Ballard EDUCATION: Dr. Ballard received his undergraduate degree in Geology and Chemistry from the University of California. He attended graduate school at the University of Southern California, the University of Hawaii’s Graduate School in Oceanography, and received his Ph.D. in Marine Geology and Geophysics from the University of Rhode Island.
MILITARY SERVICE: Dr. Ballard graduated from the University of California as a distinguished military graduate with a Commission in Army Intelligence. Later his Commission was transferred to the U.S. Navy and during the Vietnam War, he served on active duty as an Ensign, Lt. J.G. and finally as a Lieutenant. Dr. Ballard rejoined the U.S. Naval Reserve as a Commander in 1981 and left the Navy in 2002.
PUBLICATIONS: Dr. Ballard has published over 65 scientific articles in referred journals including Science, Nature, Earth and Planetary Science Letters, the Journal of Geophysical Research, and many others. He received the Newcomb Cleveland Award from the American Association for the Advancement of Science for an article he co-authored in Science detailing their discovery of high-temperature vent fields in the East Pacific Rise.
Dr. Ballard has also written many popular articles for the general public, including ten articles in National Geographic Magazine. For his popular work, he received the Westinghouse Award from the American Association for the Advancement of Science. The books he has written on his discoveries of the R.M.S. TITANIC and the German battleship BISMARCK are worldwide best sellers. His first novel “Bright Shark” and “Explorer”, a children’s pop-up book were released in 1992. “The Lost Ships of Guadalcanal” was published in October 1993. His autobiography, “Explorations” and “Exploring the LUSITANIA,” both were published in 1995. His book, “Return to Midway” was published in 1999, and “Collision with History: The Search for John F. Kennedy’s PT-109” was published in 2002.
TELEVISION PRODUCTIONS: Dr. Ballard has participated in the production of numerous television programs for the B.B.C., Open University, National Geographic Educational films, Nippon Television, German Television, the Office of Naval Research, the National Science Foundation, Public Television, Walter Cronkite’s Universe, and six National Geographic Television specials. From 1989 to 1991, he served as host of the weekly National Geographic Explorer program shown on Turner Broadcasting System. Dr. Ballard was also the technical advisor on “SeaQuest DSV” during its premiere season in 1993-1994.
RESEARCH EXPEDITIONS: Dr. Ballard has led or participated in over 110 deep-sea expeditions including the use of the deep-diving submersibles ALVIN, ARCHIMEDE, TRIESTE II, TURTLE, BEN FRANKLIN, CYANA, and NR-1. These expeditions included the first manned exploration of the Mid-Ocean Ridge, the discovery of warm water springs and their unusual animal communities in the Galapagos Rift, the first discovery of polymetallic sulfides, the discovery of high temperature “black smokers,” the discovery of the sunken R.M.S. TITANIC, the German battleship BISMARCK, 11 warships from the lost fleet of Guadalcanal and the World War II aircraft carrier YORKTOWN. Other expeditions include the discovery of PT-109, the exploration of the luxury liner LUSITANIA and hospital ship BRITANNIC. His most recent work deals with the new field of deep-water archaeology.
AWARDS: In addition to receiving the Newcomb Cleveland Award from the AAAS, Dr. Ballard has received the Centennial Award of the National Geographic Society, the AAAS Westinghouse Award, the American Academy of Achievement Golden Plate Award, Sigma Xi William Proctor Award for Scientific Achievement, the Underwater Society of America Award for Science, the Cutty Sark Award for Science, the Compass Award from the Marine Technology Society, the Boston Sea Rovers Diver of the Year Award, Underwater Society of America Northeast Region Diver of the Year Award, the Citation of Merit from the Explorers Club, the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of California at Santa Barbara, the first Secretary of the Navy Chair in Oceanography, a member of Sigma Xi, Distinguished Achievement Award from the College of Engineering at the University of Florida, Innovations in Photography Award from the American Society of Magazine Photographers, Washburn Award from the Museum of Science, Lowell Thomas Award from the Explorers Club, Fellow of the Rochester Museum, First Annual Science Service/ Science News Award, Circumnavigators Club – Magellan Award, Honorary Doctorates from the University of Rhode Island, Clark University, University of Southeastern Massachusetts, Long Island University, Southampton, the University of Bath, England, and Tufts University. He has also received the Wright Prize from Harvey Mudd College, the United States Navy’s Robert Dexter Conrad Award for Scientific Achievement, Explorers Club Medal, the Lone Sailor Award and the National Geographic Society’s most prestigious award, the Hubbard Medal. His most recent awards include the Livingstone Medal, the Naval Order of the U.S. George Dewey Award, and the National Humanities Medal, awarded to him by the President of the United States in November of 2003.
PRESENT POSITION: Dr. Ballard is President of the Institute for Exploration, founder and Chairman of the JASON Foundation for Education, and Chairman of Odyssey Enterprises. He is Scientist Emeritus in the Department of Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. He is also the Director of the Institute for Archaeological Oceanography at the Graduate School of Oceanography and is an Explorer-in-Residence for the National Geographic Society.