MYSTIC, Conn. (AP) — Oceanographer Robert Ballard, best known
for discovering the Titanic wreck, has new plans to plumb the
depths of the seas. Ballard said Thursday that his latest deep-
sea venture will send crews combing through the Black, Aegean
and Mediterranean seas for artifacts from ship wrecks and
ancient civilizations. His research vesse set out from a port in
Turkey last week on a four-month mission that will use four
remote-operated vehicles and sonar technology to explore lost
cities. At a news conference, Ballard said that while he has a
general idea what his crew might find, the exploration is about
looking for the unknown. "We're fascinated by extremely
confusing parts of our planet and we say 'let's go there and see
if we can figure it out,' " said Ballard. The 211-foot ship,
carrying a team of about 15 scientists, will travel through
waters including the Hellenic and Aeolian Arcs, the Gorringe
bank and the Straits of Sicily — a course that will take it near
deep trenches, continental faults a