June 4, 1999 -- A team of underwater search experts from the United States has located the wreckage of the Israeli submarine DAKAR in 9,600 fsw in the Eastern Mediterranean. The search team, headed by Nauticos Corporation of Hanover, Maryland, consisted of Williamson and Associates of Seattle, Washington and Phoenix International, Inc. of Arlington, Virginia.

Initial detection of the wreck was accomplished using a side scan sonar system. After detecting a strong target on two sonar passes, the search team deployed a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) to perform a detailed video inspection of the wreck. Video images from the ROV enabled topside naval experts to positively identify the wreck as the DAKAR.

The DAKAR and its 69 member crew disappeared mysteriously on January 25, 1968.  The DAKAR, a 1940s vintage submarine purchased by Israel from Great Britain, was on the final leg of its maiden voyage to Israel when all contact was lost. Over the past three decades, numerous search operations have been conducted by the Israeli Navy and the US Navy to locate the DAKAR to determine where and how the submarine was lost. These unsuccessful searches were conducted in various locations off the coast of Egypt, Israel, and Greece.

Williamson and Associates provided the sonar equipment and search personnel to perform the search phase of the operation. Phoenix International provided the Remora 6000 ROV and technicians to identify and document contacts noted during the search phase. Nauticos provided overall project management, data analysis, and support personnel for both phases of the operation.

Phoenix is a marine services company focused on the performance of complex operations in the underwater environment. Phoenix designed and built the Remora 6000 ROV to support underwater search, survey and inspection operations in water depths to 20,000 feet. During the course of the DAKAR operation, the Remora ROV made repeated dives in water depths of 9,000 to 10,000 feet to investigate contacts detected by the sonar system.

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