"Yes, I Can" (page 6 of 7)

Failing His Way to Success

By Janice Leary

Working in the control room of the salvage vessel Seaprobe at two o'clock one morning in 1977, Robert Ballard was jolted by a massive piece of equipment that crashed onto the deck just three feet above him. The ship shook with the force of an explosion. A drill pipe and its attached pod full of sonar and video gear had snapped and plunged into the Atlantic, abruptly ending the explorer's test run to find the RMS Titanic.

"I lost a lot of credibility with sponsors, who had loaned the $600,000 worth of stuff" for the 1977 expedition. "It took me eight years to recover from that." But recover he did, despite skepticism from other scientists, failed fund-raising efforts and other setbacks.

After the Seaprobe debacle, Ballard says, "I was back to square one. I had to come up with another way to search for the Titanic."

He returned to active duty as a U.S. Navy officer assigned to intelligence work. At a time when the Cold War was still being waged, the marine geologist cut a deal with Navy officials. He would offer his expertise if they funded the development and testing of Argo, a camera-equipped underwater robot critical to the Titanic mission, and allowed him to use it for exploration.

The Navy sent Ballard and Argo on classified missions to survey Thresher and Scorpion, two nuclear submarines that sank during the 1960s. Those vessels lay in waters not far from the Titanic. After surveying the Scorpion in 1985, Ballard began looking for the doomed luxury liner. And two miles down, in the dark sea at 49° 56' W, 41° 43' N, he found it.

The oceanographer, who later found the German battleship Bismarck, the liner Lusitania, and other historic wrecks, has a simple philosophy. "Failure and success are bedfellows, so I'm ready to fail."

Ballard's current port is the University of Rhode Island's Graduate School of Oceanography, where he has launched an archeological program. Students will join him on his latest quest -- exploring ancient trade routes in the Black and Mediterranean seas.

• • Inspiring Stories

• Say It With a Smile
• Change your mood -- or brighten someone else's day -- with these inspirational words of wisdom.
• 
• My First Job
• Well-known personalities discuss their first jobs.
• 
• Paul McCartney: Getting Better All the Time
• Paul McCartney talks with Reader's Digest about his life at age 59 -- his recently published books, the release of his new album, and the new love in his life. He also reminisces about his wife, Linda, about songwriting and about the Fabulous Four.
• 
• Face to Face with Muhammad Ali
• Muhammud Ali may no longer float or sting, but make no mistake: He's all in there, and his words still pack a punch.
• 
• "They Said I Couldn't"
• Six stories of people who wouldn't give up.
• 
• Stand Tall
• I was filled with doubts and worries until my grandfather told me to stand tall.
• 
• Coping With Disappointment
• Forgive the past, have hope for the future, and live in the present.
•