The Search for the Explorer

Author: Marc Brasse, Thorsten Mehltretter

Length: 47'

A stunning crowd gathers on the docks in New York harbour in May 1866. A submarine suddenly emerges from the murky water. Julius Kroehl, an emigrated German engineer, surfaces after a 90-minute dive. In 2001, archaeologist Jim Delgado found the wreck of the world’s first cast-iron submarine on a remote beach of a deserted Island in Panama. Delgado started an expedition and uncovered amazing facts: The submarine was able to carry 5 persons. The crew could submerge and go back in it, whenever they wanted. They could navigate it under water and it had a separate chamber for pressurized air and two hatches that could be opened under water. But the submarine with its incredible technology and his ingenious builder Julius Kroehl is nearly unknown in the history of underwater ships. The Search for the “Explorer” is a lavish science history documentary about ambition, adventure, war, technology, brilliance, and disaster. The documentary traces the amazing life of the emigrated German engineer who built the “Explorer” for the American Civil War and ended up pearl diving off the coast of Panama. Original filming of the expedition to the shipwreck in the remote archipelago in Panama are complemented by extensive CGI’s and re-enactments.

year of production: 2009