USS Milwaukee (CL-5) While steaming north of Hispaniola and Puerto Rico on 14 February 1939, "Milwaukee" discovered the deepest place in the Atlantic Ocean. The spot—which has a depth of —is now known as the "Milwaukee Deep". By January 1941, the ship had returned to Cruiser Division 2 which was now assigned to the Caribbean Patrol, commanded by Rear Admiral Jonas H. Ingram, part of the Neutrality Patrol established after the war began. Cruiser Division 2 was ordered to patrol the Atlantic between Trinidad, the Cape Verde Islands and the eastern bulge of Brazil in April, although "Milwaukee" was not immediately available. The
Challenger Deep of ± On 31 May 2009 the United States sent the "Nereus" hybrid remotely operated vehicle (HROV) to the Challenger Deep. Nereus thus became the first vehicle to reach the Mariana Trench since 1998 and the deepest-diving vehicle then in operation. Project manager and developer Andy Bowen heralded the achievement as "the start of a new era in ocean exploration". "Nereus", unlike "Kaikō", did not need to be powered or controlled by a cable connected to a ship on the ocean surface. "Nereus" spent over 10 hours at the bottom of the Challenger Deep and measured a depth of at