In the seas off Ustica in search of new wrecks

Two underwater robots equipped with "side scan sonar" kick off an underwater research campaign: archaeologists and divers from Italy, the United States, Denmark and Scotland are on the team

What mysteries does the sea of Ustica hold, still? The island of caves and crystal clear sea, 67 kilometers northwest of Palermo, 95 west of Alicudi: circumference of just 12 kilometers, surface area of just under nine square kilometers. We are in the heart of the Mediterranean, and a new underwater research campaign, launched in recent days, promises to add new pieces to our knowledge of the island's past. The perimeter of which will be extensively sounded, at a depth of 50 to 300 meters, covering an area of about 36 square kilometers, thanks to two autonomously guided underwater robots (AUVs) equipped with "side scan sonar." They will make it possible to map the Ustica seabed and, thanks to the use of acoustic waves, will bring back to the surface data useful for creating detailed maps of the seabed under investigation.
The project is from Cranfield University in the United Kingdom, together with the Superintendence of the Sea of the Sicilian Region and in collaboration with the Coast Guard, the Municipality and the Marine Protected Area Island of Ustica.

The goal is to identify new archaeological evidence and new wrecks so as to plan for eventual salvage and protection efforts

The "targets" identified will be further examined with an ROV (Remotely operated vehicle), an underwater robot controlled by cable from the surface that will allow video footage and photographs of the sites deemed most interesting.The team will consist of researchers from different parts of the world: the United States, Denmark, Scotland and Italy.
The conformation of the island of Ustica, in the section under the coast and for the sector that goes from 0 to 50 meters deep, suggests the use of a team of divers: they will be the ones to carry out a series of underwater prospections to identify any cultural evidence present on the seabed.