Shipwreck hunter who found Emiliano Sala’s missing plane also discovered 12 priceless gold coins on a 500-year-old wreck
Finding the plane wreckage is just the latest in a long list of discoveries David Mearns has made on the ocean's floor
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WHEN the authorities called off the search for missing footballer Emiliano Sala, it was left to one man to take on the quest.
As one of the most successful shipwreck hunters, David Mearns has a reputation for finding the most elusive wrecks and has discovered treasure including a rare coin that's one of only two in the world.
The 60-year-old American – who now lives in Sussex – has 24 finds to his name and an 89 per cent success rate.
The Sherlock Holmes of the sea uses a mixture of meticulous research, technical know-how and endless Though he has all the latest technology at his fingertips he has previously admitted his finds often come down to a “hunch”.
It was this expert knowledge that led his crew to locate the plane carrying Emiliano Sala and pilot Dave Ibbotson, 59, yesterday.
But it wasn't David's first major find - he holds three Guinness World Records, including one for the deepest shipwreck ever found, the German Rio Grande, located at 5,762 metres in 2008.
While the Emiliano Sala search had to be executed in a rush, David’s shipwreck operations - planned in his attic office - take months or years to come together and cost up to £6 million.
Determined to find the Endurance
For many years, David has been trying to put together an expedition to hunt for Endurance, Ernest Shackleton’s ship.
The explorer’s expedition to the Antarctica ended in disaster in 1915 when she got trapped in pack ice and eventually sank.
Shackleton and his men trekked over the frozen sea to Elephant Island, and then sailed 800 miles in an open boat to find help at a whaling station in South Georgia.
He estimates the project could cost between £12million to £15million and he is still looking for private backers.
Another search he has yet to complete has an even more personal story for David.
US submarine Shark II was sank in 1944 by a Japanese destroyer and one of the 87 who died was William “Dewey” Wall, the boyfriend of David’s mum.
She married David’s father after the war – meaning his very existence came about because of a shipwreck.
David was called in by Emiliano Sala's family to find the missing plane after Guernsey Police called off the search, and an appeal raised £267,000 to fund the private investigation.
Using sea survey vessel Morven, and high-tech equipment, including a multi-beam echosounder and side-scan sonar, which can detect anomalies on the seabed, he was able to pinpoint the location of the plane.
He sent down an ROV (remotely operated vehicle) to the seabed to film - and one body could clearly be seen in the footage. It is not yet known if it is the footballer or the pilot Ibbotson,
David said: "Our job is done. This is an active investigation now in the hands of the AAIB, and they will be taking over as agreed.
"We've had a long trip back and all I could think about was the families. This is what they wanted us to do, we've achieved it and that's the best we could have hoped for - the best outcome.
"An incredibly tragic and sad, and a devastating moment, but at least some of their questions will be answered because of what we will be able to do today."
He has now handed over the reins to Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) who will begin the recovery today.