Robert Ballard on finding the Titanic and other deep-sea discoveries

Jim Al-Khalili (0:00)

Hello. In 1985, my guest today found perhaps the most famous shipwreck in history. More than 70 years after the Titanic slipped beneath the waves, oceanographer Robert Ballard located her resting place about two miles down in the depths of the North Atlantic. His discovery made headlines around the world.

But ask Robert himself about his greatest find and he'll point you somewhere else entirely to something that might not have generated quite the same media storm but had a huge scientific impact. Long before he found the Titanic, Bob helped discover hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor, previously unknown underwater formations around which entire ecosystems were thriving without sunlight. This forced scientists to rethink some fundamental assumptions about how and where life can exist.

Over a career spanning six decades, Bob has racked up numerous other achievements. He's worked on revolutionary underwater technologies, led hundreds of expeditions and founded the Ocean Exploration Trust. And even today, Bob is still exploring. As he points out, when it comes to the depths of the ocean, there's plenty to be found. Bob Ballard, welcome to The Life Scientific.

Robert Ballard (1:12)

Well, it's nice to join you. Thank you for having me.

Jim Al-Khalili (1:15)

We often hear, Bob, that the age of the explorer is over, that everything's been discovered. But that doesn't apply to our oceans, does it?

Robert Ballard (1:24)

No, quite the opposite. In fact, we've seen 0.001% with the human eye or cameras, 1,000th. I get letters from kids saying, would you stop exploring so there's something left for me?

And particularly when it comes to shipwrecks. And I said, well, there's 3 million shipwrecks still waiting for you.

Jim Al-Khalili (1:45)

Goodness me.

I mentioned you finding the Titanic in the introduction. In fact, that's just one element in a lifetime of amazing finds. But I gather your mother made a comment just after that discovery. Something like, it's too bad you found that rusty old boat. That's all they're going to remember you for. Did that worry you at the time?

Robert Ballard (2:06)

Well, it was somewhat of a surprise because I'm the first of my family to go to college. And my mom from Kansas, a brilliant woman, but never went to college, really was so proud to have not only myself, my smarter older brother who got a PhD in particle physics become PhDs and do great science. And so she understood my discoveries, my scientific discoveries. And she said, finding the origin of life on earth, I think is a little more important, Bob, than finding a rusty old ship on the bottom of the ocean.

Jim Al-Khalili (2:42)

Moms are always right. Yes, indeed.

You've been involved in finding and studying plenty of other famous shipwrecks over the years, including the Bismarck and the Lusitania. Now, of all the shipwreck discoveries, do you have a personal favorite?

Robert Ballard (2:58)

Well, yes, it was in the Black Sea.

The Black Sea is an amazing place because it has no oxygen in its deep waters. It's the largest reservoir of dissolved hydrogen sulfide, which is toxic to all life. And there you find perfectly preserved shipwrecks. And that, when we came across our first one with a mast rising, the artifacts looked like they had been there for three days. Human remains. It's quite the place. It's not an easy place to work. They're now, but I was lucky to get about 10 years of exploration in the Black Sea. And I'd go back there if I could tomorrow.

Jim Al-Khalili (3:39)

So these are shipwrecks then very old ones?

Robert Ballard (3:42)

Oh, yes, dating way back. You know, thousands of years. It's really a deep sea museum.

Jim Al-Khalili (3:48)

Goodness me.

Well, Bob, you were born in 1942 in Wichita, Kansas, but the family moved west for your father's job. So you actually grew up on the Californian coast. Did you spend a lot of time by the sea as a kid?

Robert Ballard (4:03)

Yes. So my dad moved us, the family to San Diego, and our home was within walking distance. And I always loved to walk the beach and find treasures the sea brought to me.

It was my favorite place, tidal pools in particular, because each tidal cycle would trap a different set of creatures. One time it would be an octopus trying to hide. The next time it would be a crab that would fight to the death if you tried to pick it up. And that's where I just loved exploring as an early age.

Jim Al-Khalili (4:35)

And I gather your love of the sea was also fed by fiction?

Robert Ballard (4:39)

Correct. See, I'm dyslexic, and I never read the book 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. But when I was 12, I saw Walt Disney's movie, and I was captivated by the submarine Nautilus. In fact, my ship is named Nautilus.