University of Delaware graduate student Kenneth Haulsee has spent the last few years building his scuba resume for one specific reason — to one day see the Andrea Doria.

The Andrea Doria is a famous ocean liner that sank off the coast of Nantucket in 1956 after colliding with another ship, killing 46 people. An additional 16 people have died trying to scuba dive to and retrieve artifacts from the 697-foot-long-wreck, which sits 240 feet below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean.

While Haulsee won’t be scuba diving to the Andrea Doria anytime soon, he was recently part of the OceanGate crew aboard Cyclops I that conducted the first manned submersible operation to the wreck since 1995 and, for the first time ever, captured detailed close-up sonar images of the legendary Italian ship.

OceanGate’s 2016 expedition began a survey of the exterior of the wreck to capture detailed multi-beam sonar images. The expedition included three dives in the manned submersible to begin mapping the wreck and debris field.

Foggy conditions and rough seas prevented the team from conducting as many dives as they had hoped, but the team was still able to do 17 scans of the bow.

UD’s College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment is assisting OceanGate with mapping the site. The goal is to digitally assemble the sonar scans into a virtual model to help illustrate the full scope of the wreck and document its current condition.

According to Haulsee, mapping and understanding the rate at which shipwrecks are deteriorating in the ocean provides important snapshots of history, but also gives scientists a glimpse into the area’s local ecology and fishing economy.

 “This is an awe-inspiring moment in my life and I appreciate UD for providing me with the education and field experience to be a valuable asset to the OceanGate team,” he said.

Last year, Haulsee was among the UD researchers who participated when UD and OceanGate conducted research test dives in the Delaware Bay aboard Cyclops 1 from UD’s base of marine operations on the Hugh R. Sharp Campus in Lewes.

He also served as chief scientist during a field excursion with the U.S. Naval Academy to survey the Severn River adjacent to the Naval Academy in Annapolis.

Haulsee is currently a UD master’s student studying oceanography under the advisement of associate professor Art Trembanis. Following completion of his degree, Haulsee hopes to pursue a career using underwater robotics for mapping and exploring the seafloor.