NOC heralds Cameron achievement

The National Oceanography Centre has heralded James Cameron’s successful solo dive to the deepest part of the ocean.

The Hollywood director surfaced earlier this morning after completing a mission that took him to a depth of almost seven miles (11km) in the Mariana Trench. His submersible, Deepsea Challenger, spent more than three hours on the ocean floor.

In 2004 James Cameron visited the centre and received an honorary doctorate from the NOC’s hosting partners, the University of Southampton, in recognition of his contribution to ocean science.

NOC Executive Director, Professor Ed Hill, said “As an organisation engaged in the challenges of deep ocean research, we would like to offer our congratulations to James Cameron on his remarkable achievement.”

The NOC develops and provides remotely operated (ROV) and autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV) for the UK marine science community. A new, national facility, Marine Autonomous and Robotics Systems (MARS), goes live next month.