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When he came to Harbor Branch, Askew was charged with designing, building, and ultimately
piloting the JOHNSON-SEA-LINK II submersible, which is capable of taking four people to
depths of 3,000 feet.
He became Chief Pilot in 1978, manager of undersea vehicles in 1983, and Director of
Marine Operations five years later.
Recently, Tim Askew was invited by President Clinton to attend the Ninth Millennium Evening
"Under the Sea, Beyond the Stars," honoring him and others who have dedicated their careers
to the exploration of space and the world's oceans. On Monday, June 12th, he attended the
event at the White House which featured presentations by noted scientists, including
Astrophysicist Neil de Grasse Tyson and Dr. Marcia McNutt, President of the Monterey
Bay Aquarium and Research Institute in Moss Landing, California.
"I think fortunate is the word to describe how I feel about my career and what I've done,"
Askew said when he learned about the honor. "I've been able to see and do incredible
things, and along the way we've helped in the understanding of the world around us," Askew added.
He was the first person to dive on the Civil War ship U.S.S. Monitor in its watery grave off
the coast of Cape Hatteras. He helped locate and recover wreckage from the Space Shuttle
Challenger explosion in 1986.
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