Into the Deep: A Memoir from the Man Who Found Titanic

by Robert D. Ballard, Christopher Drew

Best known for finding the doomed ship Titanic, celebrated adventurer Robert Ballard has a lifetime of stories about exploring the ocean depths. Now he gets personal, telling the stories behind his most exciting discoveries-including how a top-secret naval mission provided the opportunity for his Titanic discovery-and opens up about his private tragedies. He frankly recounts the struggles he has worked through, rising to prominence as a scientist whose celebrity drew academic scorn. And he reveals the triumph and agony in the years after his Titanic find: While media around the world clamored for interviews, he confronted the death of his 20-year-old son as well as the collapse of his marriage amid academic and military career demands. Finally, he addresses his late-in-life discovery of his own dyslexia, which he now sees as a gift that has shaped his life and accomplishments.
Brilliant, insightful, and surprising, Into the Deep is the definitive story of the dangers and discoveries, conflicts and triumphs that have shaped the remarkable life of an American hero.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography, Science, Adventure, History, Audiobook

336 pages, Hardcover

First published May 11, 2021

About the author

Robert 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...

Reviews

[TarHeelReader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyone else fascinated with stories about the Titanic? Bob Ballard is the actual explorer known for discovery on both the Titanic and Lusitania shipwrecks.

Ballard found the wreck of the Titanic. He’s also known for finding new life forms at the bottom of the sea. Today he captains a ship where he continues research and trains other young scientists.

Into the Deep is his story where he shares personal details about his life. From a child with a learning disability to a legendary explorer and scientist, all the exciting and often dangerous stories are shared. What a life! I’m so grateful to have been able to read Bob Ballard’s story.

I received a gifted copy.

Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader

[Christina DeVane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would be a 5 star except for some language throughout.🤨

I found this SO fascinating on many levels! I never knew politics was so involved with being an oceanographer! He had to raise funds and find people to sponsor his explorations. The Navy ended up being a major help as they could combine technology and trips for military/defense purposes.

Coming from humble beginnings, he seemed like your average guy, but he never gave up on pursuing his dreams even when things didn’t go his way. After discovering the Titanic he became a household name and met President Reagan and Prince Charles and Diana (pre-divorce).
He went on to find many other ships and artifacts some dating back to the Canaanites! Fascinating to see how his love for exploring the deep overlapped with archeology in the end.

Most interesting was his exploration of the Black Sea. He found a previous shoreline and city wall that gave evidence to a massive Flood roughly 7,500 years ago (hmm) and the reason for layers of murky soil is the effect of salt waters engulfing a fresh water lake (also the Flood). Even though the author believes in evolution he admits how fascinating this was and how a Flood had created this.

As a marine biologist he cares about the earth. But he is not concerned with global warming or the earth surviving, etc. He states how he has seen with his eyes how the earth regenerates itself and will always take care of itself starting from its deepest roots in the ocean. He’s watched deep lava do its thing in the ocean. How cool would that be?!?

Other random facts: the US owns the most water landmass of any country. He sees this as a need for us to map out and explore what we own.
Some parts got a little deep in science and hard to follow, but overall extremely interesting and I learned so much!
He’s nearing 80 and still going on explorations! -not as the head captain though. 😉
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[Nursebookie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Into the Deep: An Explorer's Life is the memoir of Bob Ballard, a well known and celebrated oceanographer and scientist who discovered the wrecks of the RMS Titanic in 1985. Ballard was also well known for his countless significant scientific discoveries, and underwater expeditions.

I loved the way this book was written and how this memoir recounts Ballard’s life with heartbreaking details and stories about his own struggles and challenges growing up. Ballard’s life is so moving and heartfelt as he tells his story of how he rose to prominence. He also opens up about his life, specifically about his learning disability - having had dyslexia, to his harrowing experience losing his 20 year old son, and then the collapse of his marriage.

This book was such an amazing read I highly recommend, about the remarkable life of a former US Navy commander, oceanographer, and adventurer that is both inspirational and insightful.

[Onceinabluemoon · Rating 4 out of 5]

His achievements are 5 star, his personality 2 stars, he lost me when criticized his ex wife, he's too old to throw her under the bus...

[Stephanie Moore · Rating 2 out of 5]

Robert starts this book by saying how he doesn’t want to be remembered only as the man who found “that rusty old boat”. Which is kind of funny since I will remember him as the man who found that rusty old boat and the man who couldn’t see his wife’s worth. This guy really says she was just a house wife after she spends 24 years raising children with him away from home so he just has to leave her. Throw the whole man out.

[Amberly Hershberger nichols · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting details of the author’s explorations but I couldn’t get past how passive aggressive he was toward the mother of his children. Reeked of old school misogyny.

[HM21 · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the content is amazing and it is wonderful to hear about Ballard’s life, it felt a little too perfect of a painted picture and the writing was very simple, however perhaps this is in line with Ballard’s vision to make things more accessible. My biggest complaint is how he glosses over how he treats his first wife, and then fails to thank her in the end when it is her “housewife” skills that allowed him to make so many discoveries early on.

[Jamie Battaglia · Rating 3 out of 5]

The entire book is filled with incredible discoveries, archeological finds, and beautiful sea life. These things kept me reading. I also liked that some of the more scientific things were explained in layman’s terms (I am NOT good with science). However, the second half of the book was so egocentric that I kept rolling my eyes. He bashed institutions or people that didn’t support him or align with his vision, made himself out to be a celebrity, name-dropped like crazy, and added these cliche sayings and platitudes as if he was the wise one giving advice we never asked for. I noticed a couple of editing errors and there is one chapter (second to last) that could have been completely eliminated from the book or reorganized. But like I said, the discoveries were amazing and kept me going—especially seeing the photos align with the wrecks or sea life.

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've been following Dr. Ballard's career for years, so I had high hopes for this one, but my greatest takeaway from the book is that he has an ego the size of the Titanic. If you're looking for information on the discoveries he's made, or an archeological perspective on the items found, you won't get it here. Instead, aside from logistical details on the trips he's undertaken, this reads as a laundry list of the people he feels did him wrong by not supporting him exactly how he thinks he deserved to have been supported, the famous and rich people he knows and hangs out with (so much name dropping), and all of the wonderful things those famous and rich people have said about him.

[Janilyn Kocher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved watching Jacques Cousteau as a child although I am not particularly fond of the water. I remember when Ballard found the Titanic and that launched my love affair with the ship. Into the Deep provides a fascinating account of Ballards life. I was most interested in the Titanic parts, but was also interested in the other treasures he has found in the deep. I think anyone reading this memoir will want to dive into the water and see what lost ships and artifacts they can find. Thanks to National Geographic and Edelweiss for the the early read.

[Pam Foster · Rating 3 out of 5]

A strong 3.5 rating, primarily for the interesting life this man has led. Enjoyed reading about his finding of the Titanic, Bismarck. But the writing was choppy and got a bit egocentric toward the end.

[Vojtěch Hynek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Right place. Right time. Lost something? Ask Dr. Ballard. This book has so many aspects I had to wait for a while before writing this review. It is not particularly rich in language nor any literary devices. Yet the author managed to create a captivating piece of writing. He uses otherwise plain linear arrangement to make the reader uncover the story layer by layer. This technique allows for a complex understanding of the work and achievements of Dr. Ballard. It is always a pleasure to listen to someone who has an interesting story to tell. Well this man has a plethora of them. Some are haunting, some bring relief. Incredibly humble, a specialist who laid the foundations for some five scientific fields. Apparently, doing things differently doesn't always mean doing them the wrong way, Dr. Ballard's story is a testimony to it. Very seldom does something catch my interest as much as this book. Searching for crappy shipwrecks might not sound all that promising a topic, yet my YouTube algorithm is currently crammed with it and I don't wish for it to ever stop. There is the universe and there is the ocean. Robert Ballard's universe is the ocean, his lifetime work is like the Apollo and the Sputnik space programmes combined. His accomplishments might not shine all that bright in the public eye as his work takes place in the deep. That is why the world should pay more attention to the feats of Robert Ballard he definitely deserves it!

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremely interesting book!

[Jack Barnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall this is a pretty good read. I thought the writing was very good. Descriptive, engaging, and many times I felt as the reader like I was there.

I would say at times I just got this perception of arrogance from Mr. Ballard. It may just be how I read the book but there was too much "I did this" "I came up with that" "I directed this" type stuff. And the name dropping also wore on me a bit. I get the excitement of being engaged with someone like James Cameron ... that had to be cool. But deferring to calling him "Jimmy" or just talking through the limo ride ... I don't know. It just felt a little off to me.

That was really the only downside of this book for me and again, it could have been just me. What the author has done and accomplished and when and how he accomplished it was amazing.

And how he ends the book also really provides some good perspectives IMO.

It's a good book and worth the read.

[Kathleen (itpdx) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dr. Ballard’s autobiography. Childhood to almost 80. An adventurous and action-packed life. His personality comes through clearly. I liked reviewing some of the expeditions that I haven’t seen covered much in the media. I liked that he was very clear about how much time had to be devoted to fund-raising. I liked that he pushed cross specialty work and exposing students to the joys of science. I liked his explanation of dyslexia.

But I don’t think that I like Dr. Ballard that much, which made the book difficult to read at times.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

You could call this "Bob Ballard's Greatest Hits" as the renowned undersea explorer recaps his life and the several expeditions that have made him famous. In addition to his popular Titanic and Bismark discoveries, Ballard has been a pioneer in the use of underwater remote vehicles and developed much of the technology that is fueling a new Age of Discovery below the ocean surface.

He is arguably one of the greatest explorers of his generation and later in life has become an advocate for people with dyslexia (which he discovered he has). He also freely admits he is not the easiest person to be with, with many instances of him "moving on" in his personal and professional lives.

All told, a fascinating journey with a lively and engaging subject.

[Kelsea Yu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Last night, I finished up this memoir by Bob Ballard, the oceanographer who found Titanic’s shipwreck site, as well as exploring many other underwater wrecks and making other oceanic discoveries.

I really enjoyed this book, as it offered a peek into a world very few have access to. The book includes interesting photographs that illustrate what Ballard describes. I learned a lot about deep sea exploration (using submersibles & underwater cameras), his specialty. It was great reading about all the work he’s done to encourage kids interested in pursuing ocean exploration.

Ballard also goes into a heart wrenching personal loss he experienced. Near the end of the book, Ballard talks about learning late in life that he has dyslexia, and how that impacted the way he saw himself and his experiences. I love how he ends on climate change and how important it is for us humans to find sustainable ways to live.

Thank you National Geographic & TLC BooTours for a free copy of the book in exchange for an Instagram feature + review. It’s out today!

[Joanna Jennings · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such an interesting book!! A mix of mémoire, science and history is the perfect genre for me!! Some language, but otherwise so enjoyable. I really liked the part about dyslexia at the end. He comes across as very honest, humble, and passionate about exploring.

[Dolf Patijn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Robert D. Ballard is so much more than the man who found Titanic. He helped revolutionise deep-sea exploration, helped confirm the plate tectonics theory and discovered hydrothermal vents, discovered a lot of different ship wrecks and was able to give more insight in how ancient societies travelled, etc. He is one of the great explorers of our time and has a very interesting story to tell, which you can read in this book. He also found out that he is dyslexic and it shows that being dyslexic doesn't mean that you can't follow your dreams.

This is a really enjoyable and interesting read. A great memoir from an inspiring explorer.

[Gina · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I could give it six stars, I would give it six stars. If you're like me and have always longed to meet people as cool as the ones you read in fiction, this book will satisfy you.

[Jenny Belardi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a fan of Robert Ballard but this book does little justice to his super interesting career. Stick with the National Geographic tv specials which are great.

[Kevin Furr · Rating 4 out of 5]

My college had a special annual speaker series -- attendance mandatory for all students -- and over those 4 years the results were mixed. Andy Rooney from "60 Minutes" was entertaining, the Chief of Naval Operations was mildly interesting, and if Sandra Day O'Connor had droned on for another 5 minutes about the history of the Supreme Court I would have hanged myself with my belt. But by far the most interesting speaker of the four was Robert Ballard, the year after he'd found the Titanic. Ballard protests in the introduction to this book that although he's forever the 'Titanic Guy', he's actually done a lot of other things in his career, and that's what motivated him to tell his story.

He recounts growing up in San Diego, aiming to become something like an oceanographer at La Jolla's Scripps Oceanographic Institute. But through a few twists and turns he ended up at its rival, Wood's Hole in Massachusetts, as a Naval Reserve Officer -- a fact that becomes important later. As a young academic researcher commencing his struggle to gain tenure in the time allotted, he was soon going to sea and under the surface in various submersibles, being what he describes as an undersea field geologist.

True to the claims in the intro, he was a part of teams making significant discoveries, such as the first confirmation of undersea plate tectonics and the first discovery of deepwater hydrothermal vents and associated life that gained energy and nutrients from those vents. Meanwhile a close call on the ocean floor got Ballard thinking about using unmanned remote vehicles for such exploration.

The arrival of the Reagan Administration in 1981 brought a renewed interest in building up the Navy. Still a US Naval Reserve Officer, Ballard found opportunities to speak and network among the Navy brass and get involved in submarine-related classified research. He even struck up a fruitful friendship with the Secretary of the Navy, John Lehman. Ballard jockeyed the support of his powerful new friends into finally getting serious funding for his submersibles for the purpose of investigating two famous US Cold War submarine wrecks, the Thresher and the Scorpion. And, while conveniently in the Atlantic studying those wrecks, he'd got permission straight from President Reagan to spend a bit of that time looking for something he'd been dreaming about finding for a decade or more -- the Titanic.

While I've heard the situation described as "While the world thought Ballard was looking for Titanic, he was ACTUALLY on a top-secret mission to look for the submarines!" Well the subs' locations were already known; this was more a case of Ballard lucking into a chance to have the government pay for his dream of finding Titanic, as long as he dutifully visited the graves of the two subs first.

Needless to say, with a systematic search effort, and giving much credit to a French team that had managed to highlight where NOT to waste time looking, Ballard found his Titanic before the allotted time ran out. This expedition marked his evolution from undersea field geologist to marine archeologist.

That's only at about the 40% point. The rest of the book goes on to recount further historic ship finds that I wasn't even aware he'd made (e.g., Yorktown and Bismarck), along with family tragedy, divorce, remarriage, job changes, expeditions for TV specials as he worked closely with National Geographic, educational efforts for kids, and the acquisition of his own exploration ship. Eventually Ballard was directed by his funding to focus on the US's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), the 200-mile band surrounding a nation's coasts where, by international law, a nation has exclusive rights to resources (giving the US control of more underwater land than any other nation).

Towards the end he devotes a chapter to some introspection, such as chronic self-doubts born of a childhood in which his brother was the smarter one, and the realization late in life that he'd been dyslexic all this time. Then an account of his recent search efforts for Amelia Earhart -- conveniently in US territorial EEZ areas in the Pacific -- unsuccessful so far. Like the French team looking for Titanic in the 1980s, so far Ballard has only found where NOT to look. But he may not be done.

I got the idea of looking for a Ballard book after playing a old Titanic video game. I found this book was recently published, and the audio book by good fortune was read by my favorite reader, the great Scott Brick.

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

The hull of the behemoth ship came racing toward them out of the piercing darkness. For over 70 years, the Titanic sat perched on the ocean floor without a soul as to knowing where. The forward funnel had collapsed on that fateful day - April 15, 1912, crushing John Jacob Astor. Survivor Jack Thayer recorded the ship broke in half at her weakest point that night. He was right. The stern of the ship had imploded thirty seconds after she took her final plunge as air and water pressure fought for control of the largest ship in the world. Now she lay at her watery grave, sea life all but consuming her. The grand staircase was only an empty shaft, destroyed by collapsing waves and eaten by the termites of the sea - wood-eating worms. 1,503 passengers and crew who fell victim to the wreck, had called this site their final resting place. The only evidence they had ever been there were oddly placed pairs of shoes, eating utensils, and dolls that lay where they once did. Mollusks and the sea termites ate her soft woods, whereas icicle-like growths of rust, called rusticles, ate her steel, making her look like an apparition of her former glory that would disappear at any moment. But for a moment, Bob Ballard and his crew thought the ghost ship was headed straight for them and would cut their submersible in half. They tried to dive out of the way until they realized that it was them headed straight for her. No one said anything as waves of emotion had collided upon Ballard and his crew, as most places do that have experienced immense tragedy. But finally after 70 years, light had come to the Titanic once again.

Bob Ballard's life story is powerful, inspiring, and emotional. Bob, born in Kansas and raised in southern California, became enthralled with the ocean at a young age. He certainly did not follow a set "yellow brick road", but ventured on his own into the unknown, carving his own path. It was amazing to listen to someone completely living life according to destiny and fulfilling it with excellence. A sign on Bob's door reads, "If you're not making dust, you're eating it!" He would go on to serve in the Navy before becoming enrolled at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution on the Eastern seaboard, and he would become one of the finest oceanographers and explorers of all time. Following in Jacques Cousteau's footprints, Ballard went deeper into the ocean, and finding and exploring over 100 shipwrecks.

Along with the Titanic, Ballard found the German battleship Bismarck, Kennedy's patrol boat - PT-109, WWII aircraft carrier USS Yorktown, and several Black Sea wrecks from antiquity. He has explored the Lusitania, searched for Amelia Earhart's plane, found Titanic on a ten day search, and went on a Navy mission to map the wrecks of nuclear submarines Scorpion and Thresher. He has also uncovered thermal vents in the Galapagos Rift and submarine volcanoes on the Pacific rise. Ballard is an explorer for the ages.

[Dara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading about RB career and discoveries is incredible. It’s almost hard to believe one person was involved in so much. The beginning felt slower but provides a good background. The latter part of the book is packed full of adventure stories. I really enjoyed it all!

I also felt sadness reading this while we’re in the midst of not only watching our U.S. government be dismantled, but also demonizing the people and agencies that made incredible gains like this happen. In a story like this, you can’t escape details about the government agencies and funding that allowed these discoveries to happen and the benefits to research, education, community and patriotism that they provide. So many bipartisan decisions that allowed groundbreaking discoveries to occur that excelled us as a nation and would make any country proud. It’s hard to come to terms with how much is being destroyed and coming to a complete, abrupt stop and thinking we’ll look back on books like this with intense nostalgia. It’s so exciting to read things like this and it’s impossible not to feel impressed and amazed at these accomplishments! I really hope everyone can understand why scientific grants are so important.

[Sofia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really interesting and I liked it a lot, more than I thought I would tbh! I didn’t know anything about the author before diving in (hehe) but wow what a life he’s lived.

There were some parts that I didn’t care about at all to be honest, I cared the most about everything titanic. That was the main reason I wanted to read this book, learning more about the titanic and those parts were really interesting to read about and how he felt while discovering it and the journey towards discovering it. It was so beautiful how he described the emotional journey as well, he had been so focused on just finding the wreck but when he finally did the true feelings and everything behind what happened hit him and the way that was described in here was just beautiful, and sad, in my opinion.

Overall I would definitely recommend this if you liked memoirs and if you are interested in the titanic, or if you just want to learn more about the man that found it and the life he has lived

[Susan Tunis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even I have trouble believing this, but at one time in my life, I moved in the same circles as Bob Ballard, so I knew a lot of the people referenced in this book. What for any other reader would be a heck of an adventurous memoir (of a privileged white man with a very healthy ego), was for me a walk down memory lane. So many old friends were mentioned that I smiled all the way through. But even without the very personal connection, I'm pretty sure I would have loved this. Yes, Ballard is a little full of himself, but there's no denying his accomplishments. More importantly, this book reminded me why my childhood dream was to become a marine biologist and why I've never lived far from the ocean. I literally can't imagine living a land-locked life, but for those that do, perhaps this book will give them a little taste of salt on their lips.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a memoir chronicling the life and many explorations of Bob Ballard. Best known for discovering the final resting place of Titanic, he has partnered up with National Geographic to find many other ships, submersibles, and even searched for Amelia Earhart's plane. Scott Brick does an excellent job narrating the life and times of Dr. Ballard. We get more information about Ballard's motivations towards his discoveries, his feelings, and how he funded the projects. Its a great jumping off point if there are certain explorations you want to look into further. Included in the book is a listing of all his television specials and nearly two dozen pictures.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was absolutely fascinating. The descriptions of the undersea adventures were incredible. I never knew Ballard was involved in so many undersea explorations. Much like his mother was worried about, I knew him primarily from the Titanic wreck discovery. This book was an easy read that was packed with so much terrific information, as well as awesome photo inserts. I truly enjoyed it and will be looking for more of Ballard's books to read in the future.

[Lyndsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been a huge Titanic nerd for decades, so Bob Ballard is a household name for me. It was so enlightening to hear his story in his own words. I was born long after Titanic was discovered, so it was crazy to listen to the story be told from the perspective of someone who was first looking for it, the secret location of this piece of modern mythology. Anyone who's interested in boats, shipwrecks, or exploration in general will like this book. It felt like a modern Indiana Jones story!

[Corey Quick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Full disclosure: I only got about 60% through this. That's apparently my limit of self-aggrandizing bullshit. What a tool. Accomplishments: A+. Humility and self-awareness: F. Robert Ballard may think himself a god (or at least a demi-god or epic hero), but his ghost writer or editor needed to tell him to pump the brakes. If I want to hear some dude continually tell me how great he is, I'll get on Truth Social.