Bodies of Turkish Pilots Located by Titanic's Discoverer on Seabed

Acclaimed U.S. ocean explorer, Robert Ballard, whose claim to fame was discovering the shipwreck of the Titanic, aided tremendously this week in locating the bodies of the two (2) Turkish pilots after their jet was shot down by Syria. The incident occurred about two weeks ago; the fallen men were recovered from the seabed yesterday.

Ballard and his deep-sea exploration vessel R/V Nautilus (pictured in thumb image) found the bodies Wednesday about 9 nautical miles off the Syrian coast, after the Turkish navy had determined the area. The bodies were taken to the Malatya base where their plane had originally taken off.  An official statement made by Turkey’s military did not detail how or by whom the bodies were recovered.

The R/V Nautilus is continuing to search for more pieces of the plane's wreckage.

Syria has not offered an apology for the attack on the jet, adding more friction between the two neighboring countries. Turkey quickly deployed anti-aircraft missiles on the border and threatened to target Syrian military elements if they approach, reports Fox News.

Ballard led the international team that discovered the RMS Titanic in 1985, and also found the wrecks of the battleship Bismarck and the World War II PT-109 torpedo patrol boat that John F. Kennedy commanded. 

Painting by Ken Marshall depicting Argo exploring the wreck