Exploring the Maritime Mystery of the Ravenel
On May 22, 2025, a SEAMAP scientific mission near Saint-Pierre and Miquelon took an unexpected turn as the team decided to investigate the disappearance of the Ravenel, a ship that vanished in 1962. Equipped with SEABER’s advanced fleet of four Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs), the team set out to unravel a 63-year-old mystery.
After scanning 4 km² of the ocean floor using a 680kHz side-scan sonar, the first 2 km² appeared to be nothing but sand. However, on the second transect of the final AUV, a mysterious structure came into view. The dimensions of the structure closely matched that of the Ravenel, measuring 30 to 35 meters in length and 7 to 8 meters in width.
Further investigation was conducted as the AUVs made a second pass to capture high-resolution imagery of the wreck. The team is planning additional missions to confirm whether the discovered structure is indeed the long-lost Ravenel. This breakthrough comes after years of extensive research and significant state resources being deployed in 2021 and 2022.
Stay tuned for more updates on this exciting discovery as the SEAMAP team continues to unravel the mysteries of the deep sea.