Deeptrek leads responsible environmental interventions—from assessment and containment to recovery—using clean, low-impact methods aligned to best practices.
Rapid site assessment and risk modeling
Precision intervention planning and execution
Integrated monitoring and verification
Advanced Subsea Capabilities
Success in deep-water environments requires specialized technology and the expertise to deploy it. Our teams are equipped with and experienced in a wide range of advanced subsea systems.
Advanced Survey Systems: Deployment of magnetometer, twin frequency side-scan sonar, and other geophysical survey tools.
ROV & Submersibles: Extensive experience with remotely operated vehicles and one-atmosphere submarines for deep-water investigation and intervention.
Technical Salvage: From commercial diving systems to specialized tooling, we manage all aspects of complex recovery operations.
This technical capability is central to our work as the lead partner in Project Guardian, a global initiative to address the environmental threat of hazardous ship wrecks.
DeepTrek’s USVs are engineered with precision and built to excel in real-world conditions. Each vessel is equipped with:
Advanced Command & Control System (C2): Seamlessly integrating autonomous decision-making, real-time situational awareness, and collision avoidance capabilities.
Customisable Payloads: Adaptable designs to meet specific mission needs, whether it’s surveying, surveillance, or scientific research.
Sustainability Features: Energy-efficient propulsion and renewable power integration options to minimise environmental impact.
Swarm Vessel Technology: Manage and deploy multiple vessels seamlessly.
Robust Design: Built for durability and optimal performance in harsh marine environments.
High-Speed Hulls: Specially designed hulls that can reach speeds of over 100mph.
Multi-Platform Deployment: Platform to deploy multiple sensors or smaller drones/AUVs/ROVs from.
Our Engineering and Technical team have years of experience in adding additional sensors—from towed array systems, winch and umbilical management, to tactical and defence equipment for deterring threats or defending from hostility.
Deeptrek operates across domains—environmental, commercial, and defense/dual-use—delivering responsible intervention where it matters most. Our teams combine subsea engineering, data-driven planning, and rigorous QA to meet complex operational demands.
As co-lead of Project Guardian, we align intervention with environmental intelligence, ensuring measurable outcomes and verifiable stewardship.
Decades of Experience
Our legacy in marine operations began in 1986, when founder Jay Usher formed our first team, Discovery. After numerous projects around the UK coast, the company expanded internationally, eventually reforming as Deeptrek in Texas in 2000. Today, with our base of operations back in the UK, Deeptrek continues its tradition of tackling the most demanding marine projects across the globe.
This four-decade journey has given us unparalleled expertise in wreck survey, salvage, and complex subsea interventions, from historical artifact recovery to modern environmental remediation.
Past Projects
Ben Franklins Pirate Fleet
Deep-sea investigation off the coast of Wales, seeking a Revolutionary War-era American privateer shipwreck linked to Benjamin Franklin's commissioned fleet.
Underwater archaeological expedition off the coast of Wales, led by Jay Usher's DeepTrek team, seeking a shipwreck linked to a little-known aspect of the American Revolutionary War. The source explains that to secure the exchange of American prisoners suffering in British jails, Benjamin Franklin commissioned a fleet of privateers—privately owned, armed ships operating under American authority—to capture British sailors. These privateers, like the Black Prince captained by the Irish fugitive Luke Ryan, engaged in commerce raiding, looting merchant vessels and taking hostages, sometimes against Franklin's goal of simply capturing prisoners. The diving team uses advanced technology like sonar and sub-bottom profiling to excavate a treacherous wreck site, recovering artefacts like a keel shoe and French-origin cannonballs consistent with the privateer period and outfitting. Archival evidence confirms Franklin's ships operated near the site, leading the team to believe the wreck is either a member of Franklin's 'Black Fleet' or an escort ship mentioned in local legends, revealing a gritty, piratical chapter of American history.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/18hYgKJ-H00
The Wreck of the HMS Fantome and its Associated Plunder Ships
An archaeological investigation and recovery of the HMS Fantome, a British warship lost off Nova Scotia in 1814 while escorting vessels carrying plunder from the burning of Washington D.C.
The HMS Fantome was a 300-ton British brig-sloop that participated in the War of 1812, including the infamous burning of Washington. In late 1814, while escorting a convoy of captured American "plunder ships" from the Chesapeake back to Halifax, the Fantome and several of its convoy were lost in a storm off Prospect Bay, Nova Scotia. The transport vessels were known to be carrying significant goods and valuables looted from Washington, Alexandria, and Castine, making the wreck site one of high historical and material importance. Initial historical research conducted by Deeptrek identified the names of the transport ships and confirmed the nature of their cargo.
Deeptrek was contracted to conduct a full archaeological assessment and recovery operation on the site. Initial survey operations utilized a Geometrics 882 magnetometer to identify areas of interest in the challenging, high-energy surf zone where the vessel was lost. Diver reconnaissance subsequently located a large, discontinuous concretion field representing the primary artifact scatter from the wreck. A stainless steel datum line was established across the seabed, allowing for systematic mapping, excavation, and recovery of the shipwreck material. Due to the site's exposure to harsh oceanic forces, artifacts were heavily concreted and buried under an overburden of rocks and boulders, necessitating the use of hammers, chisels, pry bars, and lift bags for extraction.
Findings and Recoveries:
The recoveries confirmed the identity of the vessel and its involvement in the War of 1812. Numerous artifacts bearing the British "broad arrow" mark of crown ownership were found, including copper sheathing, nails, bolts, and pins. Recovered cannon shot, ranging from 1lb grape shot to large 28lb carronade balls, corresponded with the Fantome's known armament. Military buttons from both British Naval forces and the 2nd American Artillery were also discovered, directly linking the wreck to the conflict. Other significant finds included Spanish-American silver coins (8-real pieces), an English one-penny pay token, fragments of an octant, and various glassware and pottery shards typical of the early 19th century. The findings provided invaluable insight into the vessel's history, its final voyage, and the nature of the plunder it was escorting.
A project to survey and recover one of the most complete 19th-century composite barque shipwrecks in Australia, lost off the coast of South Australia in 1867.
The Zanoni was a 338-ton composite barque built in Liverpool in 1865 for the East India trade. In February 1867, laden with bark and over 4,000 bags of wheat, the vessel left Port Adelaide for London. While crossing the Spencer Gulf in initially fine weather, the Zanoni was struck by a sudden and violent squall. The ship capsized and sank within five minutes, though fortunately, all sixteen souls on board were rescued. The wreck's location remained a mystery for over a century.
The shipwreck site was rediscovered in 1983 by abalone divers in 18 metres of water. Deeptrek personnel were subsequently involved in the project to survey and recover the site for the Department of the Environment and Planning of South Australia. The investigation found the Zanoni to be one of the most complete and well-preserved examples of a vessel of its type and age in Australia. Lying on a barren seabed, the intact hull has since become a vibrant artificial reef, completely covered by sponges and inhabited by numerous species of fish, making it a site of significant archaeological and ecological value. A collection of its artifacts is now on display at the Maritime Museum of South Australia.
