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The Eternal Darkness: A Personal History of Deep-Sea Exploration
Until a few decades ago, the ocean depths were almost as mysterious and inaccessible as outer space. Oceans cover two-thirds of the earth's surface with an average depth of more than two miles--yet humans had never ventured more than a few hundred feet below the waves. One of the great scientific and archaeological feats of our time has been finally to cast light on the "eternal darkness" of the deep sea. This is the story of that achievement, told by the man who has done more than any other to make it possible: Robert Ballard.
Ballard discovered the wreck of the Titanic. He led the teams that discovered hydrothermal vents and "black smokers"--cracks in the ocean floor where springs of superheated water support some of the strangest life-forms on the planet. He was a diver on the team that explored the mid-Atlantic ridge for the first time, confirming the theory of plate tectonics. Today, using a nuclear submarine from the U.S. Navy, he's exploring the ancient trade routes of the Mediterranean and the Black Sea for the remains of historic vessels and their cargo. In this book, he combines science, history, spectacular illustrations, and first-hand stories from his own expeditions in a uniquely personal account of how twentieth-century explorers have pushed back the frontiers of technology to take us into the midst of a world we could once only guess at.
Ballard begins in 1930 with William Beebe and Otis Barton, pioneers of the ocean depths who made the world's first deep-sea dives in a cramped steel sphere. He introduces us to Auguste and Jacques Piccard, whose "Bathyscaph"descended in 1960 to the lowest point on the ocean floor. He reviews the celebrated advances made by Jacques Cousteau. He describes his own major discoveries--from sea-floor spreading to black smokers--as well as his technical breakthroughs, including the development of remote-operated underwater vehicles and the revolutionary search techniques that led to the discovery and exploration of the Titanic, the Nazi battleship Bismarck, ancient trading vessels, and other great ships.
Readers will come away with a richer understanding of history, earth science, biology, and marine technology--and a new appreciation for the remarkable men and women who have explored some of the most remote and fascinating places on the planet.
Ballard discovered the wreck of the Titanic. He led the teams that discovered hydrothermal vents and "black smokers"--cracks in the ocean floor where springs of superheated water support some of the strangest life-forms on the planet. He was a diver on the team that explored the mid-Atlantic ridge for the first time, confirming the theory of plate tectonics. Today, using a nuclear submarine from the U.S. Navy, he's exploring the ancient trade routes of the Mediterranean and the Black Sea for the remains of historic vessels and their cargo. In this book, he combines science, history, spectacular illustrations, and first-hand stories from his own expeditions in a uniquely personal account of how twentieth-century explorers have pushed back the frontiers of technology to take us into the midst of a world we could once only guess at.
Ballard begins in 1930 with William Beebe and Otis Barton, pioneers of the ocean depths who made the world's first deep-sea dives in a cramped steel sphere. He introduces us to Auguste and Jacques Piccard, whose "Bathyscaph"descended in 1960 to the lowest point on the ocean floor. He reviews the celebrated advances made by Jacques Cousteau. He describes his own major discoveries--from sea-floor spreading to black smokers--as well as his technical breakthroughs, including the development of remote-operated underwater vehicles and the revolutionary search techniques that led to the discovery and exploration of the Titanic, the Nazi battleship Bismarck, ancient trading vessels, and other great ships.
Readers will come away with a richer understanding of history, earth science, biology, and marine technology--and a new appreciation for the remarkable men and women who have explored some of the most remote and fascinating places on the planet.
408 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
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About the author
Robert D. Ballard
86 books169 followersRobert Duane Ballard (born June 30, 1942 in Wichita, Kansas) is a former commander in the United States Navy and an oceanographer who is most noted for his work in underwater archaeology. He is most famous for the discoveries of the wrecks of the RMS Titanic in 1985, the battleship Bismarck in 1989, and the wreck of the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown in 1998. Most recently he discovered the wreck of John F. Kennedy's PT-109 in 2003 and visited the Solomon Islander natives who saved its crew. Ballard is also great-grandson of American Old West lawman Bat Masterson.
from wikipedia.org
see also
http://literati.net/Ballard/
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/fie...
http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/pa...
from wikipedia.org
see also
http://literati.net/Ballard/
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/fie...
http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/pa...
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
January 24, 2009
Both an amazing history book and a fascinating memoir of someone who was there for the golden age of sea exploration. If you do pick this up and read it, oh my God with the bologna sandwiches, am I right?
September 25, 2011
No doubt there are still people--especially older ones, long out of public school--who haven't heard of black smokers and who believe (as everyone used to) that all of life on earth depends directly or indirectly on photosynthesis. Though one can never overestimate the power of public education in America to get things wrong, I'm pretty sure that younger people now know better, because the basic biology textbooks had to be rewritten after Robert Ballard and his colleagues discovered, in 1979, undersea ecosystems that were clustered around hydrothermal vents ("black smokers") and were using chemical energy, not light energy, to sustain life. Though I see in glancing back at the published text via Google Books (I read an advance draft) that Ballard mentions that chemosynthetic bacteria were already known to exist in rare, isolated instances, I think it's still true that Ballard's discovery transformed biology, because it was now possible to imagine that life itself had originated in this way, in the depths of the oceans, and that photosynthesis arose later, or at least independently.
That's only one of the ways in which Ballard has contributed to altering our understanding of the planet we live on, much of which is summarized in this book. The publisher's summary is pretty accurate, and I won't recap it, but I can take issue with its claim that Ballard has done more than any other man to cast light on the eternal darkness of the deep sea. You might draw that conclusion, and it's not unreasonable, but the tale Ballard tells makes clear that the work of discovery in the oceans isn't solitary, even if it depends on singular minds for its progress. You'd do better to conclude--and this is probably what he'd hope, for he's a modest man--that he didn't find the Titanic alone, that Beebe and Barton and the Picards and many others were a part of it.
I already knew the outlines of this story, having learned it in bits and pieces over the years, but having it all recounted succinctly in one book was a refreshing reminder. Though the temptation to put simplifying labels on things is regrettable, you wouldn't be amiss in calling the last 100 years the century of oceanography. Read Ballard's book and you'll know why.
That's only one of the ways in which Ballard has contributed to altering our understanding of the planet we live on, much of which is summarized in this book. The publisher's summary is pretty accurate, and I won't recap it, but I can take issue with its claim that Ballard has done more than any other man to cast light on the eternal darkness of the deep sea. You might draw that conclusion, and it's not unreasonable, but the tale Ballard tells makes clear that the work of discovery in the oceans isn't solitary, even if it depends on singular minds for its progress. You'd do better to conclude--and this is probably what he'd hope, for he's a modest man--that he didn't find the Titanic alone, that Beebe and Barton and the Picards and many others were a part of it.
I already knew the outlines of this story, having learned it in bits and pieces over the years, but having it all recounted succinctly in one book was a refreshing reminder. Though the temptation to put simplifying labels on things is regrettable, you wouldn't be amiss in calling the last 100 years the century of oceanography. Read Ballard's book and you'll know why.
January 8, 2012
It's no secret that my knowledge base isn't very deep in any area of science. In fact, there's very little I do comprehend. Unfortunately, this was very apparent while I was reading the book. Many of the stories and sites Ballard would describe were beyond my grasp because I had so much trouble understanding and picturing what it was he was talking about. From ballast to microorganism, I had trouble. I don't know if I'll ever know whether this is due to his writing above my head or me just being too far below his writing. This should not take anything away from the book, however. It did leave me wanting to know more about the ocean and submersibles and wishing that I could understand everything he was talking about. And, while I never remember feeling the desire to go to the moon or space, I found myself often hoping for the chance to go deep into the ocean. Of course, part of that is because the idea of looking for old shipwrecks (history!) sounds amazingly fun!
December 18, 2016
Eternal Darkness is a pretty fascinating account of deep sea exploration from one of the pioneers of the field. He writes about some of the early technology that was developed to explore the deep oceans. It is mind boggling to think how space exploration had really got ahead of deep ocean exploration. He describes many of the early deep ocean exploring vessels as well as some of the early pioneers ( you have all heard of Jacques Cousteau, but there are many others I didn't know about, and in fact Cosusteau was further down the line). What makes it really interesting is he is one of these early pioneers. (Deep exploration really got going in the 60's).
It is mind boggling to think that scientific concepts we view without question now, like plate tectonics, were "discovered and reinforced" by the diving experiments and exploration done by these early deep diving craft. I was constantly amazed by the willingness of those who choose to climb into these craft and go deep, miles down into the cold, darkness of the deep oceans.
The book covers a period from the 60's mostly to the early 90's. Ballard of course, is part of the group that located the Titanic. If you are looking for a book on that discovery you will really want to look for something else. He covers it as much as he covers other wrecks he was involved in discovering over the years, it is not the focus of the book at all.
The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is I felt it might be a little advanced for those without some background knowledge of the sciences. There were a few things I had to look up elsewhere to understand. He talks to you and shows you underwater pictures like you understand exactly what all these geological formations are, and why they are important. He gets a little too technical in some spots, kind of like when you talk to your engineer friends. You are more interested in the questions of what did it feel like, what did you see, how did you feel, and they want to go on about the strength and limitations of electrical wiring in underwater cables.
But that being said, I found it a fascinating book. I learned more than I ever did about deep sea submersibles, as well about some shipwrecks I didn't know about, and early scientific exploration of the deep sea, which now shapes more of our understanding of "how the world works".
It is mind boggling to think that scientific concepts we view without question now, like plate tectonics, were "discovered and reinforced" by the diving experiments and exploration done by these early deep diving craft. I was constantly amazed by the willingness of those who choose to climb into these craft and go deep, miles down into the cold, darkness of the deep oceans.
The book covers a period from the 60's mostly to the early 90's. Ballard of course, is part of the group that located the Titanic. If you are looking for a book on that discovery you will really want to look for something else. He covers it as much as he covers other wrecks he was involved in discovering over the years, it is not the focus of the book at all.
The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is I felt it might be a little advanced for those without some background knowledge of the sciences. There were a few things I had to look up elsewhere to understand. He talks to you and shows you underwater pictures like you understand exactly what all these geological formations are, and why they are important. He gets a little too technical in some spots, kind of like when you talk to your engineer friends. You are more interested in the questions of what did it feel like, what did you see, how did you feel, and they want to go on about the strength and limitations of electrical wiring in underwater cables.
But that being said, I found it a fascinating book. I learned more than I ever did about deep sea submersibles, as well about some shipwrecks I didn't know about, and early scientific exploration of the deep sea, which now shapes more of our understanding of "how the world works".
April 22, 2025
Favorite book so far from ages of discovery/historical world inquiry course. Ballard absolutely was the man to write this book. Doing the research of his predecessors and his own very important work. 10/10
I will say, I don’t love how every technological marvel in the ages of discovery all began as a *race*. The space race, the race around the world, race to the South Pole, race to find the northwest passage, colonialism in general. It is what it is and it truly is important to learn these histories but reading over and over again about the endless exploitation of people around the globe at the hands of men beholden to their giant egos is exhausting
I will say, I don’t love how every technological marvel in the ages of discovery all began as a *race*. The space race, the race around the world, race to the South Pole, race to find the northwest passage, colonialism in general. It is what it is and it truly is important to learn these histories but reading over and over again about the endless exploitation of people around the globe at the hands of men beholden to their giant egos is exhausting
November 21, 2025
I picked this up at random in a charity shop and although it turned out to be a bit more technical than I was expecting, it was still a really interesting insight into something I knew nothing about; the history of deep sea exploration, the process of developing the technology and highlights like discovering life around volcanic vents or finding the Titanic,
January 10, 2026
A good readable account of the history of deep sea exploration from the thin veneer of the few tens of metres available to humans in unpressurised vessels to the subsequent deepest dives to the very deepest part of the oceans. Interesting both for the technical aspects and also the discoveries made. The author was at the forefront of these developements and thus writes with authority.
August 5, 2022
Might not be the book's fault; could be a matter of timing or mood. Tedious and boring.
November 3, 2023
A very interesting book on the history of deep sea exploration. I loved the informal writing style and the attempt to explain things in easy terms. Could be considered dry by some but a good book.
July 25, 2024
As someone with experiences on oceanographic cruises, some of the stories in this book made my jaw drop. Even though it was published over 20 years ago, it is a worthwhile read.
May 4, 2020
Science. Cowriter William R. Hively. Learn a lot about deep sea explorations, the mysteries of the deep. Amazing flora, fauna... just bizarre. Great fantasizing a journey to the depths of our oceans.
September 25, 2011
This is a great overview of deep-diving submersibles. It does a great job of developing the history of the submersible and its major contributions to science and the military. It also lays out the grounds for how Ballard sees the future of this technology. I enjoyed the descriptions of the discoveries of the Mid-Ocean Ridge and black smokers. I wish that he would have described the Titanic discovery in more detail. Sometimes I felt that he dumbed down some of the science to reach a younger crowd, but he still did an amazing job of leaving me wanting to know more about the deep ocean and what remains to be discovered.
March 30, 2011
Imagine that we know more about planets millions of miles away than we do about the first 2 miles of ocean. Amazing what may be out there. This book is about the history of deep sea diving. Some successes and some failures. But with each we are learning. Technology has help as we further explore the last frontier. Good overall story. Through the years there was a very interesting shift from manned submersables to "virtual" or robotic exploration. Imagine what a shift this and it occurred only in the 1980s and 90s.
October 15, 2011
The sandwich story was pretty much epic. I was also fairly entertained by the historical aspect put forth regarding deep sea exploration. One thing that really bothered me though was his perhaps detached writing about the Titanic, I just really felt like he could have emotionally connected more with the audience on that bit. Also some of his other dives, and what it really feels like to be there. I think anyone picking up a book like this would want that. Still it was enjoyable, and I definitely was not bored by it. It had a lot of good content overall.
August 12, 2012
I picked up this book just to read two chapters for research, but once I got started I could not stop! Ballard writes science very understandably for the non scientist. I learned a lot from this book and really enjoyed it. Oceanography is really fascinating and this book has made me want to know more!
September 1, 2011
Dr. Ballard gives his account of discovering the wreck of the "Titanic," but he also fails to give credit where credit is due to many deepsea pioneers who made his work possible. I would've been happier with the book if there were less 'personal history' and more 'deepsea exploration.'
July 21, 2014
Bob Ballard's underwater legacy speaks for itself. From his early pioneering days of deep sea exploration including the discovery of thermal vents and the new life around them, to finding the Titanic, his work is amazing! A great read for anyone who enjoys the ocean.
September 23, 2016
Ballard's story of exploration is very compelling. I enjoyed the personal stake he has in the events described - it lends a narrative structure to what would otherwise be a fascinating but scientifically focused work.
December 24, 2010
Really fascinating. Read this just for the bologna sandwich story - wow.
July 18, 2012
That the last ship Bass went to the name was Isis.Even though he found it Dr Robert Ballard was with him. It said Ballard found it in Alvin.
October 19, 2015
I wish there had been more about the undersea lakes!
July 24, 2012
I just wished there had been a little more science.
November 30, 2012
Deep-sea is a planet inside a planet. Amazing facts.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews