Craig T. Mullen facts for kids
Craig T. Mullen was born on October 4, 1943. He is a famous deep-sea explorer. He has made many important contributions to underwater exploration. He helped create new technology and did a lot of research to understand the ocean better.
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Craig Mullen was a diving officer in the United States Navy. He served during the Vietnam War. He worked in special Navy offices that dealt with deep-sea diving and ocean engineering. He went to Vietnam twice. After his time there, he helped search for missing air crews. These crews were lost at sea off the coast of Vietnam. He led a team of experts and divers. They looked for parts of aircraft wreckage using sonar.
Exploring the Deep Ocean
Working with Alcoa Marine
In 1974, Mullen joined a company called Alcoa Marine. This company was part of the Aluminum Company of America. He became the Vice President of Operations. He managed the company's special deep-ocean research ship, the R/V Alcoa Seaprobe. This ship was very advanced for its time.
The Seaprobe was made completely of aluminum. It was built just for deep-ocean research and finding things underwater. It had a unique search pod. This pod used new sonar technology and cameras. It could sweep the ocean floor. It sent sonar and image information back to the ship. The ship could be up to three miles above the ocean floor.
The R/V Alcoa Seaprobe took the first pictures of the USS Monitor. This famous shipwreck was found off Cape Hatteras, South Carolina.
Leading Eastport International
In 1980, Mullen was part of a group that bought Alcoa Marine. The company was renamed Eastport International. It became a world leader in deep-ocean technology. Eastport set new records for working successfully in very deep water. By 1991, they were working in depths over 5,000 meters. They found the shipwreck Lucona in the deep Indian Ocean.
Eastport was the Navy's top choice for deep-ocean search and recovery for over 20 years. They helped with many important projects. These included:
- Recovering parts of the space shuttle Challenger.
- Searching for Korean Air Lines Flight 007.
- Recovering South African Airways Helderberg SA 182.
- Recovering TWA Flight 800.
They also worked on many secret military recovery missions.
Under Mullen's leadership, Eastport worked all over the world. Different countries, like South Africa, Austria, Italy, Japan, and Korea, chose them. They also worked for Lloyd's of London and other private groups. Their job was to find, record, and recover shipwrecks, aircraft, and space parts. They did this from record-breaking depths in all the world's oceans.
Eastport also helped develop robotic technology. This technology is now used by companies to install and fix underwater fiber optic cables. These cables carry internet and phone signals. Eastport also used its engineering skills in a new way. They redesigned the Jaws ride for Universal Studios. Later, they created many moving dinosaur robots for the Islands of Adventure ride.
Joining Oceaneering International
In 1993, Mullen helped Eastport merge with Oceaneering International, Inc. This was a large company that worked with oilfields and also had government contracts. Mullen became the President of a new part of the company. It was called Oceaneering Advanced Technologies (OTECH) Group. This new group handled all of Oceaneering's non-oilfield work. This included Navy search and recovery, space systems, and ocean cable operations. Mullen led Oceaneering Technologies for over five years. He helped it grow and work in many different areas.
In 1998, Mullen started his own company, Sconset Marine. He helped new technology companies grow their business. He also helped them raise money and develop new technology.
Ocean Research and Exploration
In 2003, Mullen helped start the AURORA Trust Foundation. This group works to help us understand the ocean better. They also study ancient things found underwater. AURORA is very active in the Mediterranean Sea. They have found many ancient shipwreck sites there.
In 2004, Mullen also helped start HLP-Capital. This company invests in international businesses, mostly in the Mediterranean. Through this, they created two new ocean companies. Deep Blue Surveys does underwater mapping. Deep Blue Ship Charters works with luxury yachts.
Mullen has traveled a lot and written many articles. He has worked in most of the countries around the Mediterranean Sea, from Lebanon to Spain. He is comfortable working with top government officials.
Professional Groups and Clubs
Mullen is a Fellow of The Explorers Club. This is a famous group for explorers. He has carried five Explorers Club expedition flags on major ocean trips. These trips were to Malta, Ventotene, Syracuse Sicily, Hvar Croatia, and the Florida Keys.
He is also on the Board of Directors for the Marine Resources Development Foundation.
