They've 'Found' Capt. Nemo's Sub

The discovery in Panamanian waters of a submarine that might have inspired French novelist Jules Verne in his book 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is attracting attention, says a report from La Prensa-Latina, by way of a Cuban travel site.

Remains of a submergible called Explorer were discovered in 2001 in water only three meters deep just off San Telmo Island, in the Pacific Ocean off Panama. After a series of studies, a research team has identified the craft as the one designed and built between 1863 and 1865 by German engineer and naval officer Julius Kroenhl.

The ship originally was to have been used during the U.S. civil war. Instead, it ended up being used to extract pearls in Panamanian waters for three years beginning in 1866. The investigators believe the ship's characteristics, including its mechanism for extracting pearls might have inspired Verne to write about the Nautilus, commanded by the legendary Captain Nemo.

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