"Thunder Bay 2010 will bring cutting-edge shipwreck finding technology to Lake Huron's 'Shipwreck Alley.' Long known for its rough weather, treacherous shoals, and tight shipping lanes, the stretch of Lake Huron just off the northeastern Michigan coast has claimed hundreds of ships. A 448-square-mile area with 50 known historic shipwrecks is protected by the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary (Thunder Bay NMS), but there are more shipwrecks to be discovered beyond the sanctuary boundaries. From August 16 to 27, 2010, a team from the Thunder Bay NMS and the Applied Research Laboratories at The University of Texas at- Austin (ARL:UT) will set out to discover new shipwrecks sites using cutting-edge sonar mounted on a free-swimming autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV). The team will also search for prehistoric archeological sites along a submerged ridge that was exposed, and potentially occupied by humans, nearly 10,000 years ago"--Expedition's website (mission plan).

Ocean Exploration Program
Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR)