Titanic breakthrough: Doomed shipwreck ‘rapidly deteriorating’ amid new footage

Titanic: Marine explorers visit decaying wreckage of ship

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The tale of the Titanic remains a remarkable one more than a century after it famously struck an iceberg and sank into the North Atlantic Ocean. The RMS Titanic met her fate on April 15, 1912 during her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York City. More than 1,500 people, of an estimated 2,224 people aboard, died on that fateful day.

The Titanic, under the command of Captain Edward Smith, was carrying some of the world’s wealthiest people, as well as hundreds emigrating from Western Europe, seeking a new life on American soil.

It was the pinnacle of luxury, boasting a gym, a swimming pool, exquisite restaurants and palatial cabins.

Just four days after her departure from Southampton, she hit an iceberg at 11:40pm ship’s time, around 375 miles (600km) south of Newfoundland.

Upon the collision, the hull plates buckled inwards along the starboard (right) side of the ship and opened five of the sixteen watertight compartments to the sea.

A “women and children first” protocol was launched for the loading of lifeboats.  At 2:20am, the ship broke apart and sank with more than a thousand people still aboard.

The wreck, first discovered in 1986 by a Franco-American expedition, lies at a depth of 12,415 ft (3,784m), nearly 12 times the height of the Eiffel Tower.

However, pictures from a recent expedition show signs of rapid deterioration.

OceanGate Expeditions made its first journeys to the site with its Titan submersible, and has shed light on how one of the world’s most iconic shipwrecks is reaching the “final stages” of its decay.

In the world’s only 5-person, 4,000-metre submersible, OceanGate completed six weeks of dives. OceanGate reported in August, according to GeekWire: “These changes are distinct and notable, including the missing Gorgonian Hydroid from the rail of the bow.”

Her mast has collapsed and an increasing amount of debris is scattered at and around the site.

In the series of dives, OceanGate used 3D imaging techniques alongside video and sonar. The team will evaluate the true extent of deterioration in the coming weeks and months.

This year’s expedition, they said, marks the beginning of year-on-year documentation of the Titanic.

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In a press release, Dr Bridget Buxton, who served as Chief Archaeologist for the expedition, said: “We have gathered thousands of new photographs and videos of considerable value that can be shared with other researchers.

“We have also drafted an ArcGIS map of the site on which we have overlaid the dive profiles. We will continue to add layers of data and imagery to this map each time Titan dives.”

A 2019 report from Newcastle University first revealed the extent of the deterioration of the Titanic, which is being “devoured by metal-eating bacteria”.

Titanic historian Parks Stephenson said: “The most shocking area of deterioration was the starboard side of the officer’s quarters, where the captain’s quarters were.

“Captain’s bath tub is a favourite image among the Titanic enthusiasts, and that’s now gone.

“That whole deck hole on that side is collapsing, taking with it the staterooms, and the deterioration is going to continue advancing.”

As recently as 2010, photos clearly showed the captain’s bathtub sitting amid the rusting wreck.

OceanGate’s team investigated the bathtub and it’s reported disappearance, and found it had not completely disintegrated.

Stockton Rush, OceanGate’s CEO, told GeekWire: “There was some scuttlebutt that the bathtub had fallen through, and it’s pretty clear it’s still there.

“It’s just full of debris.”

However, Mr Rush said some walls had collapsed within the last decade. The promenade deck, where Kate Winslet and Leonardo Di Caprio strolled in the ‘Titanic’ film, has “fallen in quite a bit”.

Further footage of this year’s expedition is being released on OceanGate Expeditions’ YouTube channel.

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