Answer: Nuclear Submarines

In 1985, Robert Ballard, renowned oceanographer and explorer, made a legacy-setting discovery: he discovered the long-sought wreck of the Titanic. While it has always been Ballard’s goal to uncover the wreck of the Titanic, it’s not cheap to spend your days trolling the seven seas with a state-of-the-art research and exploration vessel beneath your feet. To buy himself the time needed to look for the Titanic, Ballard first went on a very high profile errand for some friends with deep pockets.

The U.S. Navy not only sponsored the funding that went into Ballard’s state-of-the-art search, but they also paid for the two missions that sent him out into the Atlantic in the first place. While many of the details are still classified, we now know that Ballard discovered the Titanic while out to locate the wrecks of two nuclear submarines, the USS Thresher and USS Scorpion.