In
1981, marine biologist Tommy Thompson and a group of highly trained associates
set out to find the Central America. After years of diligent research,
a well-coordinated effort was made to see if her resting-place could be found.
The search began in 1986 and encompassed an area off of the Carolina coast larger that the state of Rhode Island. In 1987 Thompson's team investigated a promising site 8,000 feet down.
After just three hours, an unmistakable image filled the video screens from a camera attached to an underwater robot (nicknamed Nemo): a rusting sidewheel lying flat on the bottom of the ocean. Shortly thereafter, the robot discovered the ship's bell from the Central America, confirming the wreck's identity. And so began one of the most sophisticated salvage operations in history.
