The Antarctic expedition, which sank over 100 years ago, was thus found in surprisingly good preservation.

The difference between the Sabertooth and other Antarctic exploration robots lies in the cable. Ordinary robots mainly investigate by autonomous driving. In other words, researchers are instructing robots to autonomously search a certain range (this is close to the reason why Mars rover runs autonomously. On Mars, communication takes too long and seawater Has adopted an autonomous driving mechanism because it does not pass through radar communication).

However, the Sabertooth is a hybrid robot. In other words, it can move autonomously on the seabed of Antarctica, but can be controlled by the operator when needed. However, the cable cannot supply power to the robot. This is because making the cable thicker makes it easier for it to be washed away by the ocean current.

The researchers had a rough idea of ​​the location of the sunken ship, as the captain of the Endurance recorded the last position of the ship. However, the captain's record is the method used in the early 20th century and is inferior to modern GPS accuracy. Researchers then asked Sabertooth to autonomously scan the bottom of the Weddell Sea while the icebreaker analyzed the data acquired by sonar analysts in real time.

Finally, he found a reaction that would definitely be a sunken ship (at least for sonar analysts). "I can't forget everyone's face when I first saw the Endurance," Vincent recalls.

Unfortunately, the robot's battery had only one minute left. "I immediately stopped diving and pulled up the robot to charge it," explains Vincent.

However, researchers have finally discovered the most famous shipwreck in history. When the charged Sabertooth was dive again to shoot the footage, there was a surprisingly well-preserved wooden ship.

The shipwreck is protected as a historic site and relic by the Antarctic Treaty, so researchers can see it from the outside but not touch it. However, the video was telling everything. From the video, you can clearly see the name of the ship written on the stern, the broken mast, and the steering wheel.

Ironically, the harshness of the Antarctic waters that sank the Endurance kept it in good condition, unlike any other sunken ship. In addition to microorganisms, wooden boats quickly rot due to a creature called the shipworm, which grows up to 5 feet (about 1.5 m) by biting a tree. However, there are no trees in Antarctica. In other words, there are no organisms in the surrounding sea that have evolved to break down trees to obtain nutrients.