A Navy Drone Found Something 8,200 Feet Deep — Then the Camera Got Closer

Mason backed the remotely operated vehicle through the opening while sediment thickened around it. The three bronze cylinders were secure, but one recovery cradle remained empty. Elene watched two sealed jars roll loose from the damaged deck. One stopped almost beside the remotely operated vehicle. The second was wedged beneath a beam farther away. Reed glanced at her. “Pick up one, if Mason can take it without stopping long.” Elene nodded. “Take the nearest one.”

Mason caught the jar gently and locked it into the cradle. The other remained in view, intact and unreachable. Elene hated leaving it. It might contain another lost work. There was no way to know. “Go,” she said. Mason turned the remotely operated vehicle toward open water. Behind them, part of the hull tore free and slid several feet.

The camera kept recording as they retreated. Urns and pitchers shifted inside the stern. Some broke. Others rolled together. Elene watched the reinforced chest disappear behind a cloud of silt. “How far are we?” she asked. “Safe enough,” Mason said. Then the sonar technician swore under his breath. The entire rear third of the ship had begun to slide.