Robert Ballard rewrote the rules of biology and mapped unknown corners of the planet, yet the world remembers him almost solely as the man who found the Titanic. Even his own mother said it was a shame he found that old boat, knowing it was all anyone would ever ask him about.

This deep dive traces his evolution from a science-fiction-inspired kid to a naval intelligence officer, groundbreaking geologist, and history's greatest deep-sea detective, revealing the Cold War military operation hidden behind his most famous discovery.

• How his dual identity as academic geologist and naval officer unlocked funding and cutting-edge tech
• The Galapagos Rift discovery of hydrothermal vents and chemosynthesis, made with no biologist aboard
• The classified Navy mission to find lost nuclear submarines that funded the Titanic sear ...