Nautilus Live: Exploring Maritime Archaeology

Embark on a rare, real-time exploration of one of World War II’s most haunting underwater battlegrounds in a special live broadcast from Nautilus Live, presented in partnership with the Museum’s Center for the Environment.

On this one-night-only event, Museum of Science educator Locke Patton will join us live from aboard the exploration vessel E/V Nautilus, offering exclusive behind-the-scenes access to a groundbreaking expedition led by the Ocean Exploration Trust (OET). From July 2–23, 2025, the Nautilus team of maritime archaeologists will explore Iron Bottom Sound off the coast of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands—a deep-sea site where over 100 Allied and Japanese ships and planes were lost during five fierce naval battles in 1942.

Using state-of-the-art tools including remotely operated vehicles and the uncrewed surface vessel DriX, the team will conduct non-invasive surveys of this sacred underwater resting place. Don’t miss your chance to go inside this extraordinary mission—hear directly from the crew, witness live discoveries, and connect with a chapter of history long hidden beneath the waves.

This program is free thanks to the generosity of the Lowell Institute.

FEATURING-

Locke Patton is a science communicator and educator at the Museum of Science. Sometimes this means touching lightning in our Theater of Electricity or introducing Bowser the snapping turtle to visitors. But this July, Locke is bringing his storytelling to the high seas of the Solomon Islands onboard the science vessel E/V Nautilus. As a science communication fellow, Locke will join the Ocean Exploration Trust in search of World War II plane and shipwrecks in Iron Bottom Sound, broadcasting dives of remotely operated vehicles live.

Locke joined the Museum of Science in 2024. A native of Portland, Oregon and graduate of University of Washington, Locke was a Pierce Fellow at Harvard, where his graduate studies focused on massive space explosions and their galaxy hosts. His previous work developing accessible and scientifically useful sonifications won an AAS Chambliss Award and improved science access for blind and visually impaired individuals.