Alvin submersible maps Shackleton’s ship Quest wreck in Labrador Sea

The Royal Canadian Geographic Society and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution have deployed the Alvin submersible and remote‑operated vehicles to locate and document the wreck of the Quest, the ship used by explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton. Researchers are creating a high‑resolution 3‑D digital twin of the vessel, using 5.2K video and photogrammetry to capture details of the hull, deck and superstructure at a depth of 390 m.

The teams observed that the wreck now serves as a thriving marine habitat, but fishing nets tangled on the stern are causing damage. “We’re using a combination of robots… to map the wreck through and through,” said Research Director Antoine Normandin, while Woods Hole chief scientist Dwight Coleman noted, “More than just using Alvin to show the Quest to human eyes for the first time in 60 years, we will create a digital twin of the ship.” The expedition will continue to nearby Arctic wrecks after completing the Quest survey.