Diver dies after exploring shipwreck
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ATHENS - A member of a National Geographic team exploring the wreckage of Britannic, the Titanic's sister ship, in the Aegean Sea died of decompression sickness yesterday, the Merchant Marine Ministry said.
Carl Spencer, 37, was rushed to Athens Naval Hospital in the afternoon after diving to film the wreckage of the Britannic, 4 miles off the island of Kea, southeast of Athens, the ministry said.
Spencer, who showed symptoms of the illness widely known as "the bends," had been aboard the Belgian-owned research vessel CDT Fourcault. He was flown to the hospital by helicopter but was unconscious upon arrival.
His team was to spend nine days doing an internal and external analysis of the wreckage. Spencer had led a similar expedition to the Britannic in 2003.
On Nov. 21, 1916, the Britannic, requisitioned as a hospital ship during World War I, was sunk. Of the 1,066 passengers aboard, 30 died.
