The challenge with finding the Bonhomme Richard is that contrary to popular belief, the ship didn't go under immediately but burned and continued to sluggishly sail in the North Sea for more than a day after it defeated the British ship Serapis. No one knows exactly where Jones' ship finally came to rest because the tides, winds, partial sails and ocean currents continued to push it atop the ocean.

Lee Dooley, a spokesman for ASA, said the company had to create a custom application from two off-the-shelf products because the expedition's needs were very complex. "[The ship] was impacted by more than just currents and winds," Dooley said.

Using its own algorithms, the ASA software aggregated the data to devise lists of possible targets. "It's a big probability matrix," Dooley said.

The expedition's mapping of target areas helped narrow down likely locations -- a crucial step before sending a remote camera to look for wreckage. Such cameras are good for identifying objects but not for finding something underwater unless the location is exact, Dooley said.

If the wreckage is found next summer, the expedition will gather underwater photos of the site, but no recovery operations will be done, Ryan said. An archeological mission to recover objects could take place in 2008 , but funding still has to be found for that work.