〃This is the original sonar scan from the ship。 If you can't read sonar scans this'll be hard to interpret； but you see here the thin； knife…edge obstruction。 Consistent with a sunken ship or aircraft； which cut the cable。
〃The charter pany； Transpac munications； notified the Navy； requesting any information we had about the obstruction。 This is routine： whenever there is a cable break； the Navy is notified； on the chance that the obstruction is known to us。 If it's a sunken vessel containing explosives； the ＇＇32＇＇ cable pany wants to know about it before they start repair。 But in this case the obstruction was not in Navy files。 And the Navy was interested。
〃We immediately dispatched our nearest search ship； the Ocean Explorer； from Melbourne。 The Ocean Explorer reached the site on June 21 of this year。 The reason for the Navy interest was the possibility that the obstruction might represent a sunken Chinese Wuhan…class nuclear submarine fitted with SY…2 missiles。 We knew the Chinese lost such a sub in this approximate area in May 1984。 The Ocean Explorer scanned the bottom； using a most sophisticated sidelooking sonar； which produced this picture of the bottom。〃
In color； the image was almost three…dimensional in its clarity。
〃As you see； the bottom appears flat except for a single triangular fin which sticks up some two hundred and eighty feet above the ocean floor。 You see it here；〃 he said； pointing。 〃Now； this wing dimension is larger than any known aircraft manufactured in either the United States or the Soviet Union。 This was very puzzling at first。 Next。〃
A submersible robot； being lowered on a crane over the side of a ship。 The robot looked like a series of horizontal tubes with cameras and lights nestled in the center。