Witness History The discovery of the Terra Nova shipwreck
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Mar 31, 2026 Leighton Rolley, an oceanographer who helped locate the Terra Nova in 2012, recounts the sonar survey and discovery process. He describes spotting a 57-metre wreck on multibeam maps. Short scenes cover lowering cameras for visual ID, placing biodegradable commemorative markers, and efforts to secure legal protection for the site.
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Early Morning Search Felt Like A Momentous Gamble
- Leighton Rolley described the early-morning survey atmosphere on board Falkor as excited but anxious about whether they'd find Terra Nova.
- They chose the 12x5 nautical mile area near drifting icebergs and used historic US Coast Guard records to narrow the search area.
Multibeam Sonar Built A 3D Map Quickly
- The team used hull-mounted multibeam sonar to build a 3D image of the seabed by firing hundreds of sound waves.
- Continuous slow transects at about five miles an hour produced return times that revealed depth and shape over the 20x10 km search box.
A 57 Metre Echo Matched The Terra Nova
- After hours of mapping, processed sonar data revealed an anomalous return identified by an expert as a 57-metre wreck.
- The match to Terra Nova's known length triggered immediate excitement because they had been specifically searching for a 57-metre ship.