JACKSONVILLE, FL - LAST MYSTERIES OF THE TITANIC, a poignant farewell to the most spectacular shipwreck in history, premiering on Sunday, July 24th at 9 PM on Discovery Channel, will feature the underwater archaeological investigative work of Michael A. Arbuthnot, M.S., RPA, a senior archaeologist with Environmental Services, Inc. (ESI), a Jacksonville firm.

The Discovery Channel special presents the last trip to the doomed ship by James Cameron, Oscar-winning writer/director/producer of the blockbuster film Titanic. Utilizing newly developed technology, Cameron and his team present history's best look yet at the ship's interior, including some areas not seen since Titanic's lone voyage in 1912. And since time and the harsh conditions of the ocean floor have taken their toll on the ship, these may be the last images ever gathered of the Titanic before it is surrendered to the deep forever.

Arbuthnot, an ESI underwater archaeologist, served as principal investigator for the archaeological component of the project, responsible for designing the research program and producing its final report. He rode with Cameron on all submersible dives and piloted the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) inside and outside the wreck

“This is a pioneering ROV investigation using the latest and smallest ROV systems on the market,” Arbuthnot explained. “The project represents the first systematic video survey of Titanic's interior bow structure employing archaeological mapping methods. The video is used to locate and identify artifacts within the bow section of Titanic's hull for future analysis and research.

Arbuthnot has worked on underwater archaeology projects in Florida and the Caribbean since 1997. He has surveyed, mapped, excavated, interpreted and analyzed artifacts and has published numerous reports and technical papers on diverse underwater archeological sites.

“Without a doubt, this project represents the cutting edge in underwater archeological investigation,” he pointed out. “We were able to make use of the latest technologies and employed the most advanced non-invasive survey methodologies and testing strategies to acquire significant image data with little or no impact to the Titanic.”

The majestic Titanic has been an object of fascination and study for decades, but many tantalizing questions still remain about the ship and its catastrophic sinking. This expedition, Cameron's final and most comprehensive dive yet, attempts to uncover clues and solve some of the Titanic's most haunting mysteries.

LAST MYSTERIES OF THE TITANIC combines re-enactments, archival footage, and the results of two new Titanic dives with live updates from James Cameron from aboard one of the two MIR submersibles while at the wreck and from the Keldysh, his research vessel. Re-enactments were filmed using sets built during the production of the feature film, Titanic, and present a vivid look at rarely-seen areas of the vessel. As this is his last expedition to the doomed ship, the special also features Cameron's live farewell to the Titanic.

LAST MYSTERIES OF THE TITANIC is directed by James Cameron and produced by Andrew Wight. Discovery Channel Executive Producer is David McKillop.

Discovery Channel is the United States' largest cable television network, serving 90.2 million households across the nation with the finest in informative entertainment. Discovery Networks, U.S., a unit of Discovery Communications, Inc., operates and manages Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Travel Channel, Discovery Health Channel, Discovery HD Theater, Discovery Kids Channel, Discovery Times Channel, The Science Channel, Discovery Home Channel, Military Channel, Discovery en Espanol and FitTV. The unit also distributes BBC AMERICA.

Founded in 1986, Environmental Services, Inc. operates from 15 offices throughout the southeast, with corporate headquarters in Jacksonville, FL. The firm specializes in ecological services, including environmental assessment, wetland analysis, underwater archeology, endangered and threatened species studies, mitigation, and related issues. ESI also offers comprehensive consulting services related to cultural resource studies, phase I environmental site assessments, underground/above ground storage tank closures and removal, stream restoration, and benthic macroinvertebrate assessments.

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