Nat Geo diver dies in Aegean Sea
Güncelleme Tarihi:
The Associated Press
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Mayıs 26, 2009 00:00
ATHENS - A member of a National Geographic team exploring the wreckage of Britannic, the Titanic's sister ship, in the Aegean Sea died of decompression sickness Sunday, the Merchant Marine Ministry said.
Carl Spencer, 37, was rushed to the Athens Naval Hospital in the afternoon after diving to film the wreckage of the Britannic, four miles (6 kilometers) off the island of Kea, southeast of Athens.
Spencer, who showed symptoms of the illness widely known as "the bends," had been aboard the Belgian-owned research vessel CDT Fourcault. He was flown to the hospital by helicopter but was unconscious upon arrival. His team was to spend nine days doing an internal and external analysis of the wreckage.
Spencer had led a similar expedition to the Britannic in 2003. The technical diver also had taken part in an exploration of the Titanic wreckage as part of a Discovery Channel expedition led by filmmaker James Cameron, who directed the 1997 blockbuster "Titanic."
Following the sinking of the Titanic in April 1912, the hull of the 53,000-ton Britannic was redesigned and it was launched in 1914. It was never used as a commercial trans-Atlantic liner because of World War I.
Spencer, who showed symptoms of the illness widely known as "the bends," had been aboard the Belgian-owned research vessel CDT Fourcault. He was flown to the hospital by helicopter but was unconscious upon arrival. His team was to spend nine days doing an internal and external analysis of the wreckage.
Spencer had led a similar expedition to the Britannic in 2003. The technical diver also had taken part in an exploration of the Titanic wreckage as part of a Discovery Channel expedition led by filmmaker James Cameron, who directed the 1997 blockbuster "Titanic."
Following the sinking of the Titanic in April 1912, the hull of the 53,000-ton Britannic was redesigned and it was launched in 1914. It was never used as a commercial trans-Atlantic liner because of World War I.