Canadian Expedition Maps Historic Polar Shipwrecks in Digital Detail

A Royal Canadian Geographical Society team used the Alvin submersible to create detailed 3D models of Quest and Terra Nova, the vessels of polar explorers Shackleton and Scott. Over three weeks, researchers photographed the wrecks—Quest discovered in 2024 at over 1,000 feet in the Labrador Sea, Terra Nova sunk in 1943—and stitched thousands of images into photorealistic digital twins without disturbing them. The work demonstrates how technology can preserve maritime history.