Photogrammetric reconstruction of the submarine USS F-1 on the seafloor west of San Diego, California. CREDIT: Image by Zoe Daheron, ©Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. In 1917, two US submarines collided off the coast of San Diego and submarine USS F-1 sank to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, along with 19 crew members aboard. The horrible accident, whose wreckage was discovered in 1975, represents the US Naval Submarine Force’s first wartime submarine loss. Now, researchers from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution have captured new footage of the 1,300 feet-deep underwater archaeological site. “They were technical dives requiring specialized expertise and equipment,” Anna Michel, a co-lead of the expedition and chief scientist at the National Deep Submergence Facility, said in a statement. “We were careful and methodical in surveying these historical sites so that we could share these stunning images, while also maintaining the reverence these sites deserve.” The high-definition imagining and mapping of the USS F-1 took place during a deep-sea training and engineering mission in February and March. The missions aimed to train future submersible pilots and test the human-occupied vehicle Alvin and autonomous underwater vehicle Sentry.  The team captured never-seen-before images and videos and conducted a sonar survey, which essentially consists of mapping a region by shooting sound waves at it and registering the echo. Imaging specialists combined the 2D images into a 3D model of the wreck—a technique called photogrammetry. Using photogrammetry reveals measurements not just of the submarine but of the marine life that over the past century has claimed the vessel as its own.  Photogrammetric reconstruction of the submarine USS F-1 showing the sub’s stern and propeller. CREDIT: Image by Zoe Daheron, ©Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. “As a Navy veteran, making this dive—together with another Navy veteran and a Navy historian—was a solemn privilege,” said Office of Naval Research Program Officer Rob Sparrock, who was in Alvin when it went down to the wreck. “There was time to contemplate the risks that all mariners, past and present, face. It also reminded me of the importance of these training dives, which leverage the knowledge from past dives, lessons learned and sound engineering.” The researchers also investigated a Navy torpedo bomber training aircraft that went down in the region in 1950. After the dives, they held a remembrance ceremony aboard the research vessel Atlantis during which a bell rang once for each of the crew members lost in 1917.  “History and archaeology are all about people and we felt it was important to read their names aloud,” said Naval History and Heritage Command Underwater Archaeologist Brad Krueger, who also dove in Alvin. “The Navy has a solemn responsibility to ensure the legacies of its lost Sailors are remembered.” #108yearold #submarine #wreck #seen #stunning

"We’ve crushed fascism before and we’ll crush it again."Crushing FascismA 98-year-old World War II veteran, who served in the British Army, absolutely destroyed a Tesla vehicle with the license plate "FASCIM" in a recently shared YouTube video.As first spotted by Gizmodo, veteran Ken Turner used a Sherman tank, one of the most widely used tanks used by the US and its western allies against the Nazis in World War II, to turn a navy blue Tesla into a pancake.The video was uploaded by the British anti-Brexit and anti-conservative political group Led by Donkeys to send a clear message."Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, is using his immense power to support the far-right in Europe, and his money comes from Tesla cars," the group wrote in the video's caption. "We’ve crushed fascism before and we’ll crush it again." Tesla SmackdownThe symbolic stunt highlights Musk's embrace of extremist and racist views. The mercurial CEO has used his considerable platform to further unhinged conspiracy theories and spread hurtful anti-immigrant rhetoric.And who could forget president Donald Trump's post-inauguration celebration, during which Musk performed not just one but two Nazi salutes?He has appeared at a rally for the Alternative for Germany party — a growing, far-right nationalist contingency boasting ties to neo-Nazism — and attended meetings with Italian right-wing populist political party Lega.As a result, anti-Musk sentiment has soared, giving life to an international protest movement, dubbed "Tesla Takedown."It's a terrifying new predicament, with experts warning of the rise of technofeudalism, ruled by a tiny number of "broligarchs," like Musk.To some, it's an eerie deja vu of some of the darkest chapters in recent human history."I’m old enough to have seen fascism the first time around, now it’s coming back," said veteran Turner in the latest video — before crushing the Tesla in a tank.Share This Article #watch #98yearold #world #war #vet

Researchers are trying to determine the identity of the shipwreck. Image: Screenshot, CBC/YouTube Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. A Canadian kid is proof that major scientific discoveries don’t always have to come from grizzled researchers with fancy equipment. Two years ago, then-8-year-old Lucas Atchison went on a family trip to Point Farms Provincial Park in Ontario. Armed with a metal detector he had just received as a birthday present, Atchison dutifully scanned the area, hoping to hear that coveted “beep.”  Eventually, he did. Eagerly digging into the site, Lucas uncovered a metal spike, which his father initially dismissed as something used to tie up boats. But the budding archaeologist insisted they dig further. Soon, they uncovered another spike attached to a piece of wood. The father-son pair had likely stumbled on a two-century-old shipwreck.  “We were on the beach, we got our metal detector out, and as soon as we set it up, ding! It was a spike from the shipwreck,” Lucas recently told the CBC. Lucas’ find led to a full-on excavation  Once the duo realized what they had found, they alerted the provincial parks staff, who then contacted the nonprofit Ontario Marine Heritage Committee. The OMHC met with Lucas in 2023, but it took several years to obtain the necessary regulatory permits to excavate the area further. Finally, earlier this month, they began digging. Though still in the early stages, marine archaeologist Scarlett Janusas told the CBC that the shipwreck’s “double frames” suggest it is of the schooner variety. Work still needs to be done to definitively confirm the ship’s identity, but archaeologists working on the project believe they may have a likely contender in the St. Anthony. That vessel wrecked near Lake Huron in 1856 during a trip transporting wheat between Chicago and Buffalo. Researchers at the site are currently creating sketches of the wreck from above and from the side to analyze it in more detail. They are also reportedly reviewing 19th-century insurance requirements for ships, which could provide clues about the vessel’s identity and when it sank. Those documents outline specifications for ships at the time, such as the number of fasteners required in the frames. By cross-referencing those details against records of missing ships, they hope to definitively identify the wreck. You never know what you might find  Lucas’ discovery is a nice reminder that, even today, in our seemingly mapped-out, modernized world, you never know what you might find with a trusty metal detector. His case is far from unique. In just the past few months, a Romanian man used a metal detector to uncover an ancient hoard of Roman coins. Even more recently, a Scottish man discovered a 4,000-year-old axe buried on his family farm. Sometimes, people may not even realize the significance of their finds until much later. Case in point: an Australian prospector named David Hole found a large rock with a metal detector in 2016, believing it to be a gold nugget. Only recently did he learn that it was actually a far rarer 4.6 billion-year-old meteorite. As for the Ontario shipwreck, researchers say they eventually plan to re-bury the find in an anaerobic, oxygen-free environment. That setting could help preserve it by protecting it from natural degradation caused by parasites and other organisms. Lucas, meanwhile, may be just beginning a long journey with his trusted metal detector. #8yearold #kid #with #metal #detector