The highest-quality footage of the Titanic has been released, showing the infamous sunken wreck in an “astonishing level of detail” like never seen before. The 8K video comes from OceanGate Expeditions, who captured the shots during their 2022 Titanic Expedition.
During an 8-day mission, the team trawled deep into the North Atlantic on board a 93.6 meter (307 foot) vessel and detailed the condition of the wreck using submersible vehicles, high-definition cameras, 3D sonar, and a bunch of experts.
The footage captures a number of significant features of the ship including its bow, the portside anchor, an enormous anchor chain, and solid bronze capstans.
“We are seeing new details in this footage. For example, I had never seen the name of the anchor maker, Noah Hingley & Sons Ltd., on the portside anchor. I’ve been studying the wreck for decades and have completed multiple dives, and I can’t recall seeing any other image showing this level of detail,” Rory Golden, OceanGate Expeditions Titanic expert and veteran Titanic diver, said in a statement
“One of the most amazing clips shows one of the single-ended boilers that fell to the ocean’s floor when the Titanic broke into two. Notably, it was one of the single-ended boilers that was first spotted when the wreck of the Titanic was identified back in 1985,” he added.
The room in the Titanic where Captain Edward Smith’s bathtub once lay. Image credit: OceanGate Expeditions
The “unsinkable” ocean liner famously sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on April 15, 1912, after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton in England to New York City. At least 1,500 passengers died and the wreck sunk to the seabed, some 4,000 meters (13,123 feet) below sea level around 740 kilometers (400 nautical miles) from Newfoundland in Canada.
The final resting place of the ship wasn’t discovered until 1985, 73 years after it met its fate. Since then, fewer people have visited the Titanic’s wreck than have flown in space. For an undisclosed price, OceanGate Expeditions offer tours of the shipwreck for a select few customers.
The wreck’s days may be numbered, however. Expeditions in recent years have seen the ship becoming rapidly disintegrated by dissolved by rust, sea salt, bacteria, flocks of deep-sea creatures, and other forces of nature.
The anchor of the Titanic covered in seaweed and rust. Image credit: OceanGate Expeditions
Since its discovery 37 years ago, the ship’s forward mast has collapsed, the poop deck collapsed, the crow’s nest has disappeared, and the gymnasium by the grand staircase has collapsed. It’s feared the ship’s bow could be next.
“In comparing footage and images from 2021, we do see slight changes in certain areas of the wreck. Our science team will be reviewing the 8k, 4k, and other footage captured during the 2022 Titanic Expedition for any changes. Having experts aboard the Titan submersible when we dive allows them to assess the shipwreck through direct observation, guide our exploration of different features of the wreck, and continue their study using the imagery,” remarked Stockton Rush, President of OceanGate Expeditions.
Source Link: New Titanic Footage Reveals Wreck In Never-Before-Seen Detail