Undersea Search Team Locates Missing Submarine

A team of underwater search experts from the U.S. has located the wreckage of Israeli submarine Dakar in 9,600 fsw in the Eastern Mediterranean. The search team, headed by Nauticos Corporation of Hanover, Md., consisted of Williamson and Associates of Seattle, and Phoenix Marine, Inc. of Arlington, Va. Initial detection of the wreck was accomplished using a side scan sonar system. After detecting a strong target on two sonar passes, the search team deployed a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) to perform a detailed video inspection of the wreck. Video images from the ROV enabled topside naval experts to positively identify the wreck as Dakar. Dakar and its 69 member crew disappeared mysteriously on January 25, 1968. Dakar, a 1940s vintage submarine purchased by Israel from Great Britain, was on the final leg of its maiden voyage to Israel when all contact was lost. Over the past three decades, numerous search operations have been conducted by the Israeli Navy and the U.S. Navy to locate Dakar to determine where and how the submarine was lost. These unsuccessful searches were conducted in various locations off the coast of Egypt, Israel, and Greece. Williamson and Associates provided the sonar equipment and search personnel to perform the search phase of the operation. Phoenix Marine provided the Remora 6000 ROV and technicians to identify and document contacts noted during the search phase. Nauticos provided overall project management, data analysis, and support personnel for both phases of the operation.