After more than 100 years underwater, the wreck of the “Titanic” is disintegrating at the bottom.
A new robotic underwater mission that took place over the summer brought new images to light, with new findings from the ship’s decay.
A large section of the bow railing – captured by Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Rose (Kate Winslet) in the famous film scene – has come off and lies on the sea floor.
The new images from #TITANICExpedition2024 reveal one thing for sure: #TITANIC is changing.
After 112 years at the bottom of the #NorthAtlanticthe hostile ocean environment has taken a toll on TITANIC. pic.twitter.com/y8DKTj8Qi7— RMS Titanic, Inc. (@RMSTitanic_Inc) September 1, 2024
However, the bow is not the only part of the ship, which lies at a depth of 3,800 meters, that is lost to the sea. The metal structure is eaten away by microbes, creating rust stalactites called rusticles.
It is recalled that the Titanic sank in April 1912 after hitting an iceberg, resulting in the loss of 1,500 lives.
“The bow of the Titanic is just iconic and that’s what you think of when you think of the shipwreck. And it doesn’t look like that anymore,” said Tomasina Ray, director of collections for RMS Titanic Inc, the company that carried out the expedition.
“It’s just another reminder of the wear and tear that happens every day. People keep asking: “how long will the Titanic stay there?”. We just don’t know, but we’re watching it in real time,” she added. The team believes the section of railing, which is about 4.5 meters long, fell sometime in the past two years.
Here’s the team that piloted and collected 3-D data from #ROV 326, one of the two ROVs for #TITANICExpedition2024. The data that the crew collected will be transformed into breathtaking 3-D models of the #TITANICshowing her current state. Well done! Thank you! 👏 pic.twitter.com/C8VCw8kcUJ
— RMS Titanic, Inc. (@RMSTitanic_Inc) August 26, 2024
“Diana of Versailles” Revealed
The team also announced the unveiling of an object they had hoped to find, although it was against all odds. A bronze statue named “Diana of Versailles” was discovered in 1986 and photographed by Robert Ballard, who had found the wreck of the Titanic a year earlier. However, its location was not known and the 60cm tall figure was never recorded again.
Now, she was found lying face down in the sediment in the debris field. “It was like finding a needle in a haystack, and its rediscovery this year was momentous,” said James Penka, a Titanic researcher and host of the Witness Titanic podcast. The statue was once on display for first class passengers on the Titanic.
In fact, he added: “The first class lounge was the most beautiful and incredibly detailed room on the ship and the centerpiece of that room was ‘Diana of Versailles’.” Unfortunately, however, when the Titanic split in two during the wreck, the saloon was opened up and in the chaos and destruction, the statue was uprooted and landed in the darkness of the wreckage.”
Fine art decorated the halls and rooms throughout #TITANICbut beauty is a delicate thing. Much of TITANIC’s fine art was made of organic materials, breaking down into the earth after many decades submerged in the hostile environment of the #NorthAtlantic. pic.twitter.com/zVauzPWDTq
— RMS Titanic, Inc. (@RMSTitanic_Inc) September 1, 2024
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