when was last visit to titanic

First manned Titanic expedition in 14 years reveals 'shocking' deterioration

The world's most famous shipwreck is rapidly falling apart.

LONDON -- For the first time in 14 years, a manned dive has visited the RMS Titanic at the bottom of the North Atlantic Ocean.

The world's most famous sunken ship rests 12,500 feet down on the icy seafloor, some 370 miles south of Newfoundland, Canada. This month, a deep-sea exploration team of experts and scientists completed five dives to the shipwreck over eight days, using a human-occupied submersible. They found the British passenger liner, the largest ship of its time, deteriorating rapidly.

The Titanic, which was 882 feet long and weighed over 53,000 tons, sunk in 1912 after hitting an iceberg during its maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City. Of the 2,224 passengers and crew estimated to be on board at the time, more than 1,500 died. The underwater wreckage was discovered 73 years later.

(MORE: Scientist who found the Titanic wreck now chasing down clues for Amelia Earhart)

The last manned dive to the Titanic was in 2005, and this latest expedition was led by Victor Vescovo, an American private equity investor and retired naval officer who is the founder of exploration company Caladan Oceanic, Titanic historian Parks Stephenson, Rob McCallum, founder of specialist tour operator EYOS Expeditions, and a technical team from Triton Submarines.

They surveyed the decades-old wreckage and used special cameras to capture it on 4k footage. The rusting hulk is crumbling from salt corrosion, metal-eating bacteria and deep ocean currents.

Stephenson said the "most shocking area of deterioration" was on the starboard side of the officers' quarters, where the captain had his rooms. There, he said, the hull has begun to collapse.

"Captain's bath tub is a favorite image among the Titanic enthusiasts, and that's now gone," Stephenson said in a statement Wednesday. "That whole deck hole on that side is collapsing taking with it the staterooms, and the deterioration is going to continue advancing."

The team also performed photogrammetry passes on the Titanic's remains, which will allow them to produce photo-real 3D models of the vessel so they can assess the current condition and project its future.

"The most fascinating aspect was seeing how the Titanic is being consumed by the ocean and returning to its elemental form while providing refuge for a remarkably diverse number of animals," Patrick Lahey, president and co-founder of Triton Submarines, said in a statement Wednesday.

(MORE: Titanic II luxury vessel to set sail in 2022)

Lori Johnson, one of the scientists of the expedition, said the rate of deterioration will speed up as natural types of bacteria work "symbiotically" to eat away the iron and sulphur.

"The future of the wreck is going to continue to deteriorate over time," Johnson said in a statement Wednesday. "It's a natural process."

The team will release the full results from the expedition alongside a documentary being made by Atlantic Productions, a London-based company that filmed the dives.

"It was extraordinary to see it all," Vescovo said in a statement Wednesday. "The most amazing moment came when I was going along the side of the Titanic and the bright lights of the submersible reflected off a portal and came right back, it was like the ship was winking at me."

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Follow the timeline of the Titan submersible’s journey from departure to tragic discovery

A submersible carrying five people to the Titanic imploded near the site of the shipwreck and killed everyone on board, authorities said Thursday, bringing a tragic end to a saga that included an urgent around-the-clock search and a worldwide vigil for the missing vessel. (June 22)

The Titan submersible was touted for its unconventional design. After its catastrophic underwater implosion that killed five people, the question remains, was the design destined for disaster? (June 23) (AP Video/Production: Rodrique Ngowi)

The U.S. Coast Guard says a debris field has been found near the Titanic as rescuers search for a missing submersible en route to the ship’s wreckage. The Coast Guard put the statement on Twitter on Thursday. (June 22)

FILE - This photo provided by OceanGate Expeditions shows a submersible vessel named Titan used to visit the wreckage site of the Titanic. The wrecks of the Titanic and the Titan sit on the ocean floor, separated by 1,600 feet (490 meters) and 111 years of history. How they came together unfolded over an intense week that raised temporary hopes and left lingering questions. (OceanGate Expeditions via AP, File)

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FILE - The Titanic leaves Southampton, England, on her maiden voyage on April 10, 1912. The wrecks of the Titanic and the Titan sit on the ocean floor, separated by 1,600 feet (490 meters) and 111 years of history. How they came together unfolded over an intense week that raised temporary hopes and left lingering questions. (AP Photo/File)

FILE - This 2004 photo provided by the Institute for Exploration, Center for Archaeological Oceanography/University of Rhode Island/NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration, shows the remains of a coat and boots in the mud on the sea bed near the Titanic’s stern. The wrecks of the Titanic and the Titan sit on the ocean floor, separated by 1,600 feet (490 meters) and 111 years of history. How they came together unfolded over an intense week that raised temporary hopes and left lingering questions. (Institute for Exploration, Center for Archaeological Oceanography/University of Rhode Island/NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration, File)

FILE - In this satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies, from top to bottom, the vessels Horizon Arctic, Deep Energy and Skandi Vinland search for the missing submersible Titan, Thursday, June 22, 2023, in the Atlantic Ocean. The wrecks of the Titanic and the Titan sit on the ocean floor, separated by 1,600 feet (490 meters) and 111 years of history. How they came together unfolded over an intense week that raised temporary hopes and left lingering questions. (Satellite image ©2023 Maxar Technologies via AP, File)

The wrecks of the Titanic and the Titan sit on the ocean floor, separated by 1,600 feet (490 meters) and 111 years of history. How they came together unfolded over an intense week that raised temporary hopes and left lingering questions.

THE BUILDUP

The Polar Prince, a Canadian icebreaker ship, steamed out of Newfoundland on Friday, June 16, towing the experimental Titan submersible and carrying the five-man team headed to explore the iconic ocean liner’s watery gravesite. Three missions involving other teams had been scrapped due to bad weather in the previous four weeks, but the latest OceanGate Expeditions group was hopeful.

“A weather window has just opened up and we are going to attempt a dive tomorrow,” renowned adventurer Hamish Harding said Saturday on Instagram. “More expedition updates to follow IF the weather holds!”

THE DIVE DOWN

Moving about the Polar Prince, mission participants were required to wear water-activated life vests, bright orange jackets, helmets and steel-toed boots, said Arnie Weissmann, a journalist who spent eight days aboard the support ship in May before his mission was aborted. Just before a dive, they’d change into fleece vests, black flight suits bearing the OceanGate logo and warm socks — no shoes allowed on the submersible.

The team was carried to the Titan’s launch and recovery platform by one of two inflatable dinghies named Stewie and Max. Once inside, they would sit on a platform, with their legs crossed or out straight.

“You could not be in that thing if you’re claustrophobic,” Weissmann said. “It’s literally like being in a tin can because it’s got rounded sides.”

The Titan submerged at 8 a.m. EDT Sunday, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

“Once the submersible is launched you will begin to see alienlike lifeforms whizz by the viewport as you sink deeper and deeper into the ocean,” the company wrote on its website when it advertised the expedition. “The descent takes approximately two hours but it feels like the blink of an eye.”

On Sunday, the vessel lost contact with the Polar Prince around 10:45 a.m.

At 5:40 p.m., nearly three hours after the Titan was expected to resurface and nearly eight hours after the last communication, the Polar Prince notified the U.S. Coast Guard that the vessel was overdue, setting off an intense international search and rescue.

After the craft was reported missing, the U.S. Navy analyzed its acoustic data and found an anomaly that was “consistent with an implosion or explosion in the general vicinity of where the Titan submersible was operating when communications were lost,” a senior Navy official later told The Associated Press. Though it wasn’t made public at the time, the Navy passed on that information on Sunday to the Coast Guard, which continued its search because the Navy did not consider the data to be definitive, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive technology.

By Monday afternoon, a C-130 Hercules aircraft from North Carolina and a Canadian P8 aircraft with underwater sonar equipment joined the search. Tuesday brought better weather and increased visibility, and by that morning, 10,000 square miles (25,900 square kilometers) had been searched.

A U.S. Air National Guard crew arrived that day, as did a Bahamian research vessel, Deep Energy, which deployed camera-equipped, remote-operated robots.

Meanwhile, sonar equipment detected banging noises Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, sparking hope that those aboard the Titan were still alive.

“We are smack dab in the middle of search and rescue, and we’ll continue to put every available asset that we have in an effort to find the Titan and the crew members,” Captain Jamie Frederick of the First Coast Guard District said at a news conference Wednesday afternoon.

By then, crews had scoured an area twice the size of Connecticut in waters 2½ miles (4 kilometers) deep. More resources were on the way, including multiple remote-operated vehicles, a salvage system capable of recovering heavy undersea objects and a mobile hyperbaric recompression chamber. Time was running out. The submersible was only equipped with enough air to last until sometime the next morning.

THE DISCOVERY:

On Thursday morning, a robotic vehicle discovered the tail cone of the Titan on the ocean floor, followed by the front and back ends of the Titan’s hull.

“The debris is consistent with the catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber,” said Rear Adm. John Mauger of the First Coast Guard District.

On its website before the expedition, OceanGate told future participants what to expect upon resurfacing.

“Once on deck, you will be welcomed back by the expedition crew and be able to share the story of your incredible accomplishment,” said the company, which already had scheduled dates for a 2024 expedition.

On Thursday, the company issued a statement mourning those killed, including company CEO and pilot Stockton Rush. In addition to Rush and Harding, the others on board were Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet and two members of a prominent Pakistani family, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood.

“These men were true explorers who shared a distinct spirit of adventure, and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the world’s oceans,” OceanGate said. “We grieve the loss of life and joy they brought to everyone they knew.”

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First dive to Titanic in 14 years reveals salt corrosion and metal-eating bacteria

EYOS Expeditions, the team behind the iconic Five Deeps expedition series, has carried out the first dive to the wreck of the Titanic in 14 years.

Situated in 3,800 metres of water approximately 380 miles south-east of St John’s in Newfoundland, the Titanic wreck was last visited by humans in 2005. The EYOS Expeditions team deployed the Triton submersible Limiting Factor from research vessel Pressure Drop and conducted several dives to the wreck over 10 days.

“It is a privilege to be back and to enable clients to revisit the famed shipwreck. This is the first dive that anyone has done since our last dive in 2005,” said Rob McCallum , EYOS Expeditions founder and expedition leader. “No one has seen the Titanic since and so we were anxious to check in and to monitor her condition, work with scientists who have monitoring stations onsite and to assist with the filming of a new documentary.”

Limiting Factor, the only unlimited depth submersible in the world, dived down to the wreck in -1°C waters. It was discovered that the wreck has been heavily impacted by strong and ever-changing ocean currents, metal-eating bacteria and natural salt corrosion. In 2010, researchers placed a variety of scientific experiments around the wreck, many of which were metallurgical samples so that the breakdown of metals at these depths could be tracked.

With the guidance of an on-board NOAA representative, the team carefully shot photogrammetric images to help assess the wreck’s current condition. They also used specially adapted cameras to capture 4K footage, which can then be used to construct computerised 3D models of the wreck.

“I think the Titanic is one of the most iconic and exclusive destinations on Earth. She is very difficult to reach because the logistics of working at 12,500ft while 370 miles offshore are challenging,” added McCallum. “A lot of people would like to do it, but diving on the Titanic is a complex and difficult undertaking, with currents up to 4 knots. Even though our onboard team has over 200 Titanic dives to their credit, we cannot take anything for granted. We plan every dive from scratch, and it is an immense honour and responsibility to have returned to the Titanic after so many years.”

Footage of the dive is set to feature in a documentary film made by BAFTA and Atlantic Productions .

Photographs courtesy of EYOS Expeditions.

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A Timeline of the Sinking of the Titanic

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From the time of its inception, the Titanic was meant to be gigantic, luxurious and safe. It was touted as being unsinkable because of its system of watertight compartments and doors, which of course proved to be just a myth. Follow the history of the Titanic, from its beginnings in a shipyard to its end at the bottom of the sea, in this timeline of the building of the ship through its maiden (and only) voyage. In the early morning hours of April 15, 1912, all but 705 of its 2,229 passengers and crew lost their lives in the icy Atlantic .

The Building of the Titanic

March 31, 1909: Construction of the Titanic begins with the building of the keel, the backbone of the ship, at Harland & Wolff's shipyard in Belfast, Ireland.

May 31, 1911: The unfinished Titanic is lathered up with soap and pushed into the water for "fitting out." Fitting out is the installation of all the extras, some on the exterior, like the smokestacks and the propellers, and a lot on the inside, like the electrical systems, wall coverings, and furniture.

June 14, 1911: The Olympic, sister ship to the Titanic, departs on its maiden voyage.

April 2, 1912: The Titanic leaves the dock for sea trials, which include tests of speed, turns, and an emergency stop. At about 8 p.m., after the sea trials, the Titanic heads to Southampton, England.

The Maiden Voyage Begins

April 3 to 10, 1912: The Titanic is loaded with supplies and her crew is hired.

April 10, 1912: From 9:30 a.m. until 11:30 a.m., passengers board the ship. Then at noon, the Titanic leaves the dock at Southhampton for its maiden voyage. First stop is in Cherbourg, France, where the Titanic arrives at 6:30 p.m. and leaves at 8:10 p.m, heading to Queenstown, Ireland (now known as Cobh). It is carrying 2,229 passengers and crew.

April 11, 1912: At 1:30 p.m., the Titanic leaves Queenstown and begins its fated journey across the Atlantic for New York.

April 12 and 13, 1912: The Titanic is at sea, continuing on her journey as passengers enjoy the pleasures of the luxurious ship.

April 14, 1912 (9:20 p.m.): The Titanic's captain, Edward Smith, retires to his room.

April 14, 1912 (9:40 p.m.) : The last of seven warnings about icebergs is received in the wireless room. This warning never makes it to the bridge.

Last Hours of the Titanic

April 14, 1912 (11:40 p.m.): Two hours after the last warning, ship lookout Frederick Fleet spotted an iceberg directly in the path of the Titanic. The first officer, Lt. William McMaster Murdoch, orders a hard starboard (left) turn, but the Titanic's right side scrapes the iceberg. Only 37 seconds passed between the sighting of the iceberg and hitting it.

April 14, 1912 (11:50 p.m.): Water had entered the front part of the ship and risen to a level of 14 feet.

April 15, 1912 (12 a.m.): Captain Smith learns the ship can stay afloat for only two hours and gives orders to make first radio calls for help.

April 15, 1912 (12:05 a.m.): Captain Smith orders the crew to prepare the lifeboats and get the passengers and crew up on deck. There is only room in the lifeboats for about half the passengers and crew onboard. Women and children were put into the lifeboats first.

April 15, 1912 (12:45 a.m.): The first lifeboat is lowered into the freezing water.

April 15, 1912 (2:05 a.m.) The last lifeboat is lowered into the Atlantic. More than 1,500 people are still on the Titanic, now sitting at a steep tilt.

April 15, 1912 (2:18 a.m.): The last radio message is sent and the Titanic snaps in half.

April 15, 1912 (2:20 a.m.): The Titanic sinks.

Rescue of Survivors

April 15, 1912 (4:10 a.m.) : The Carpathia, which was about 58 miles southeast of the Titanic at the time it heard the distress call, picks up the first of the survivors.

April 15, 1912 (8:50 a.m.): The Carpathia picks up survivors from the last lifeboat and heads for New York.

April 17, 1912: The Mackay-Bennett is the first of several ships to travel to the area where the Titanic sank to search for bodies.

April 18, 1912: The Carpathia arrives in New York with 705 survivors.

April 19 to May 25, 1912: The United States Senate holds hearings about the disaster; the Senate findings include questions about why there were not more lifeboats on the Titanic.

May 2 to July 3, 1912: The British Board of Trade holds an inquiry into the Titanic disaster. It was discovered during this inquiry that the last ice message was the only one that warned of an iceberg directly in the path of the Titanic, and it was believed that if the captain had gotten the warning that he would have changed course in time for the disaster to be avoided.

Sept. 1, 1985: Robert Ballard's expedition team discovers the wreck of the Titanic .

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Using IFREMER’s state-of-the-art technology, including the manned submersible Nautile, the expedition team recovered some 1,800 objects. Iconic artifacts included instruments from the stern Docking Bridge, a decorative cherub and several pursers’ or leather traveling bags.

In April 1993, RMS Titanic, Inc. and IFREMER conducted a second joint expedition to Titanic ‘s wreck site with the French research and recovery ship Nadir. The French American team recovered approximately 800 artifacts, including a set of the Ship’s whistles, a double lifeboat davit and base, and a two-ton engine eccentric strap. Almost miraculously, along with these heavy metal objects, a delicate jet bead and a child’s marbles were also brought to the surface.

In the summer of 1994, RMS Titanic, Inc., with IFREMER, returned to Titanic ‘s wreck site. Artifacts including personal effects such as a boot, binoculars, and a 2-ton set of bollards, which once secured Titanic ‘s mooring lines, were recovered. In addition, a 17-ton section of the Ship’s hull, found lying on the seabed, was painstakingly measured by Nautile for retrieval at a later expedition. The artifacts recovered subsequently went on exhibition at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, England where they were seen by over 720,000 people.

This was RMS Titanic, Inc.’s fourth mission and one that conducted groundbreaking scientific investigations into the wreck. Using the most sophisticated research tools available and advanced techniques of reverse engineering, forensic science, and crash investigation, an international team of naval architects, microbial biologists, metallurgists, and historians from five countries examined the Ship and attempted to solve the mysteries surrounding the disaster. To determine how fast Titanic is corroding on the seabed, Canadian microbiologist Dr. Roy Cullimore conducted investigations into the “rusticles,” elaborate colonies of iron-consuming microorganisms that cover nearly every surface of the hull. Cullimore concluded that the iron-eating microbes have already consumed as much as 20% of the bow. The major purpose of the 1996 expedition, however, was to record and document the wreck in detail. This was an ambitious agenda and would last 30 days. IFREMER’s Nadir and Nautile were once more employed as well as Ocean Voyager, an oceanographic research ship, which carried four purpose-built Edison light towers, and served as a filming base for the documentary film shot by the Discovery Channel and the Ellipse program of France during the expedition.

This expedition was the fifth one for RMS Titanic, Inc. and IFREMER continued many of the scientific investigations it started on Expedition 1996. In addition, new debris fields were discovered, including an area west of the stern section containing a significant amount of passenger baggage. The team recovered remarkable artifacts with the assistance of the recovery vessel Abeille Supporter, including the D-Deck Door, and, most significantly, a 17-ton section of the hull, which came to be known as The “Big Piece”. This is the largest and most significant section of the Ship ever recovered. Examinations of the hull made it clear that Titanic is deteriorating more rapidly than previously thought. As a result, the ongoing scientific investigations into the physical events surrounding the sinking became more urgent. Expedition 1998 also established, for the first time in history, a live fiber-optic television link from the bottom of the ocean, permitting viewers to watch in real time the exploration of the wreck by a manned submersible, and thus earning the record for the deepest underwater live broadcast.

This was RMS Titanic, Inc.’s sixth expedition to the wreck site. For this endeavor, the Company utilized the services of the Russian P.P. Shirshov Institute, its research vessel Keldysh, and its submersibles MIR I and MIR II. Knowledge of the Ship was increased by the exciting recovery of the main wheel and steering stand, the navigating bridge wheel steering stand, two engine telegraphs, an automatic whistle timer, and the capstan controller wheel and stand from the docking bridge. The most astonishing recovery of the Expedition may well have been sixty-five perfume vials belonging to first-class passenger Adolphe Saafeld of Manchester, England. When this miraculous find was brought into the conservation laboratory, the aroma of Edwardian perfume filled the air stopping everyone in their tracks.

RMS Titanic, Inc. conducted its seventh research and recovery mission to Titanic ‘s wreck site. The mission utilized a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) rather than the manned submersibles used on previous expeditions. The ROV, provided by Phoenix International, Inc., was equipped with cameras, lighting systems, and two manipulator arms that allowed the team to engage in round-the-clock underwater operations and to watch those operations in real-time from the surface. A variety of artifacts were recovered during the expedition; each rescue was documented as to time and location by video, still photographs, and written notations. Perhaps the most exciting artifacts rescued were two never-before-seen: a gilded wall sconce from the À la Carte Restaurant and the frame of a tile from the Turkish Bath. The tile still retains, and finally documents, the vibrant blue color used in the decor of the Bath.

Conducted in the summer of 2010, the team returned to the wreck site in what is considered the most technologically advanced scientific expedition to Titanic ever organized. RMS Titanic, Inc. brought together a team of leading archaeologists, oceanographers, and scientists to take innovative measures to virtually raise Titanic , preserving the legacy of the Ship for all time.  It is the Company’s purpose to preserve the memory of Titanic and of all who sailed on the ship and to promote that memory with respect and regard for the Ship’s historical and maritime significance.

In July 2024, the world’s leading deep ocean imaging experts, oceanographers, scientists, and historians will gather to launch RMS Titanic, Inc.’s first expedition to the wreck site of the RMS Titanic since 2010. This expedition will utilize cutting-edge technology to focus on imaging and high-resolution photography of the site to preserve the Titanic’s legacy for future generations and scientific study. It will be carried out by ROVs (remotely operated vehicles) to survey the wreck site and debris field. The images captured will reveal important new insights into the condition of the site, areas and artifacts at risk, and contribute to ongoing conservation efforts and educational initiatives already underway. Learn more here .

Expeditions to recover Titanic artifacts have been a collaborative effort between RMS Titanic, Inc.; The French Oceanographic Institute; and the Moscow-based P.P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology. These expeditions have been conducted at the Titanic’s wreck site, located 963 miles northeast of New York and 453 miles southeast of the Newfoundland coastline, during the summers of 1987, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2004 and 2010.

Nautile and MIR submersibles are used for the recovery in Expeditions 1987, 1993, 1994, 1996 and 1998; these machines are equipped with mechanical arms capable of scooping, grasping, and recovering the artifacts, which are then either collected in sampling baskets, or placed in lifting baskets. The crew compartment of each submersible accommodates three people – a pilot, a co-pilot, and an observer – who each have a one-foot-thick plastic porthole between themselves and the depths. Both submersibles have the capabilities of operating and deploying a Remote-Controlled Vehicle on a 110-foot tether which is then flown inside the wreck to record images.

In the 2004 Expedition, the Remora 6000 Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV) was used for the recovery of objects. This ROV was controlled from the surface via ROV pilots.

Each recovered artifact undergoes conservation following carefully designed processes to remove rust and salt deposits

Once an artifact leaves the water and is exposed to the air, it must undergo an immediate stabilization process to prevent further deterioration.

Artifacts are cleaned with a soft brush and placed in foam-lined tubs of fresh water.

Artifacts are brought to our conservation laboratory where contaminating surface salts are removed from each of the artifacts.

Artifacts are conserved: After a period of six months to two years, artifacts can be conserved using treatments that are compatible with each artifact’s construction materials.

Conservation Process

Metal objects are placed in a desalination bath and undergo the first steps of electrolysis, a process that removes negative ions and salt from the artifact. Electrolysis is now being used to remove salts from paper, leather, and wood as well. These materials also receive treatments of chemical agents and fungicides that remove rust and fungus from them.

Paper artifacts are first freeze-dried to remove water and are then cleaned with specialized vacuums and hand tools to remove dirt and debris. Leather artifacts are soaked or injected with a water-soluble wax which replaces voids previously filled by water and debris.

Artifacts are displayed in specially designed cases where temperature, relative humidity and light levels can be controlled, protecting the artifacts from these three agents of deterioration. The artifacts displayed have been conserved and are continuously monitored and maintained so that they can be shown in the Exhibition as well as preserved for the future.

Titanic Facts

Jenny the cat.

RMS Titanic had its own official cat, called Jenny, who was considered a mascot for the boat and helped to keep the population of mice and rats down onboard. Jenny started her career as a working cat onboard the Titanic ’s sister ship, Olympic . She was “transferred” onto the ill-fated ocean liner just a week before it set sail on its maiden voyage.

On board there was:

• Fresh Meat: 75,000 lbs.
• Fresh Fish: 11,000 lbs.
• Bacon and Ham: 7,500 lbs.
• Fresh Eggs: 40,000
• Ice Cream: 1,750 qts.
• Coffee: 2,200 lbs.
• Tea: 800 lbs.
• Flour: 200 barrels.
• Oranges: 36,000
• Lemons: 16,000
• Fresh Milk: 1,500 gallons
• Butter: 6,000 lbs.
• Tomatoes: 2¾ tons
• Potatoes: 40 tons
• Beer and Stout: 20,000 bottles
• Wines: 1,500 bottles
• Spirits: 850 bottles
• Champagne: 63 cases

Time it takes

It takes over 2 and a half hours to reach the Titanic Wreck. Each dive lasts about 12 to 15 hours with an additional 2 hours to ascend to the surface.

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You Can Visit the Titanic—But Only if You Act Fast

By: Brynn Holland

Updated: August 29, 2018 | Original: March 15, 2017

Since the sinking of the Titanic on the fateful night of April 14, 1912 (in which more than 1,500 people lost their lives), it’s estimated that  fewer than 200 people have visited its final resting place. The last crewed mission was in 2005, while a remote-operated vehicle explored the site in 2010. For the sinking’s centennial in 2012 , Deep Ocean Expeditions led a series of 12-day dives where groups of 20 tourists, paying $59,000 each, explored the famous watery grave. Those trips were originally intended to be the last time tourists would ever visit the site—turns out, that was wrong.

Now, for $105,129 per person, those who were worried they missed their chance can embark on an eight-day tour with Blue Marble Private (who is working with OceanGate Expeditions.). As part of a seven-week expedition starting in May 2018 that will also include specialists, submersible pilots and an operations crew, groups of nine tourists (who will become “ mission specialists ”) can accompany expert divers to the site for a week at a time. These specialists will not only get to glide over the picturesque grand staircase, but will be assisting with the research and helping to underwrite the mission itself with their fees. Don’t worry, the groups will closely follow the guidelines established by UNESCO and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to ensure they don’t damage the site.

Along with experts from the Advanced Imaging and Visualization Laboratory at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, the team hopes to preserve the history before it’s too late, capturing images from OceanGate’s Cyclops 2 submersible (currently under construction) and creating a 3-D photographic model of the wreck. They will also assess the damage to the wreck. Due to the size of the infamous ship, the team anticipates that documenting the site will take years, and plan to make these dives an annual occurrence.

If you always wanted to visit Titanic but aren’t sure whether to jump on this not-so-cheap opportunity, keep in mind that the site might only be around for another 20 years. When oceanographer Robert Ballard discovered Titanic in 1985 (400 miles off the coast of Newfoundland and 3.8km below the ocean’s surface), he was actually on a secret mission commissioned by the U.S. Navy to locate two submarines that sunk during the Cold War. The lack of light and intense pressure at the wreckage site seemed like it would make the area inhospitable to lifeforms, helping to preserve the ship.

But nobody accounted for a rare, rust-eating bacteria called Halomonas titanicae (named for the wreck it is currently feasting on). Insight into this never-before-seen phenomena came in 1991, when a team of Canadian and Spanish researchers collected samples of “rusticles”—icicle-like rust formations—from the wreck. It wasn’t until 2010, however, that a group of scientists led by Henrietta Mann studied the samples and discovered it was brand-new bacteria. Their findings appeared in the December 2010 issue of the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology .

This iron-loving bacteria can survive where most life forms can’t, making the dark, highly pressured home of Titanic a perfect place for it to grow. H. titanicae is nimble, evolving to survive in the ever-changing conditions at the site. Among its most remarkable adaptations is the use of a molecule, known as ectoine, that helps it balance out salt fluctuations at the site.

Along with other corrosive microorganisms, H. titanicae gobbles up the iron in the ship’s metal exterior, forming the rusticles, which over time dissolve into fine powder. It is no surprise, then, that Titanic has been rapidly deteriorating since its discovery, alarming both scientists and enthusiasts who hope to uncover more secrets through further exploration of the wreck. Bacteria on ships is not uncommon, sometimes they serve to protect the wrecks, but that is not the case with H. titanicae. These tiny microbes’ voracious appetites already have experts scrambling to preserve a site that is quite literally vanishing into thin air—or, more accurately, water.

While H. titanicae threatens Titanic, it also has the potential to help eliminate unwanted waste from the ocean floor in a natural, eco-friendly way. “We believe H. titanicae plays a part in the recycling of iron structures at certain depths,” Mann explained . “This could be useful in the disposal of old naval and merchant ships and oil rigs that have been cleaned of toxins and oil-based products and then sunk in the deep ocean.”

The bottom line? If you have some extra cash laying around and have always dreamed of swimming over the infamous, opulent ship’s deck, now is the time to sign up—or start saving. Hopefully, more secrets will be revealed before H. titanicae completely devours its namesake.

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Titanic at 100: Be Among the Last to Dive to Wreck Site?

With increased access, ship's survival is in jeopardy, advocates warn.

ON TV: Save the Titanic with Bob Ballard premieres at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Monday, April 9, on the National Geographic Channel.

An anniversary deep-sea diving expedition will offer tourists a chance to visit the R.M.S.   Titanic , a hundred years after the legendary ship sank to the bottom of the frigid North Atlantic.

As part of a $60,000, two-week cruise, a pair of tourists can get shoehorned with a pilot into a tiny Russian MIR submersible that's less than 7 feet (2.1 meters) wide.   The trip to Titanic 's resting place takes about 2.5 hours, and a round-trip dive lasts about 8 to 10 hours.

"I think one thing that captures people is a direct link to this almost mythological maritime character, the Titanic ," said Rob McCallum of Deep Ocean Expeditions , which holds exclusive charter for Titanic dives.

"Being able to go and actually see it and pay homage to it, if you like, is an incredible aspect of his expedition."

(See   pictures of   Titanic then and now in   National Geographic magazine .)

But summer 2012 is the first season since 2005 that Deep Ocean Expeditions has taken people to the Titanic— and it could be the last.

"For a variety of reasons, these are the last dives that the Deep Ocean Expeditions is going to do on Titanic ," said McCallum, whose company began diving to the Titanic in 1998. The outfitter also takes tourists to the Bismarck shipwreck, the North Pole, deep-sea hydrothermal vents, and other extreme sites.

"Our support ship is going into retirement soon, and the submersibles are going to go back into government work."

At the same time, some historians and other advocates are arguing against tourist dives to the wreck, saying the underwater site is being endangered by looting, littering, and poorly controlled access.

For instance, Edward Kamuda, president of the   Titanic Historical Society , said he would rather not see expeditions like this summer's take place at all.

"To us it's a grave site—why disturb it any further?" he said. "One couple went down and got married at the site. There will be cruise ships going out there for the anniversary and drinking champagne and that sort of thing."

"Is that an appropriate way to commemorate the sinking of this ship and the loss of all those lives?"

Discoverer Wants Titanic Protected

More than 1,500 passengers and crew died after the supposedly unsinkable   Titanic struck an iceberg in the wee hours of April 14, 1912, and sank at 2:20 a.m. on April 15. (See a   Titanic crash-scene interactive .)

The ship's whereabouts remained a mystery until the wreck was found on September 1, 1985, about 380 miles (611 kilometers) southeast of   Newfoundland (map) .

Since then, people have debated about how to best protect the   Titanic , and what type of access to the site should be allowed.

For instance, though Deep Ocean Expeditions won't return to Titanic , other tourists and treasure seekers likely will—legally or not.

That scenario troubles deep-sea explorer Bob Ballard, who discovered the wreck 25 years ago.   (Related:   " Titanic Was Found During Secret Cold War Navy Mission." )

Ballard, also a National Geographic Society explorer-in-residence , believes the ship's very survival is threatened by its growing accessibility. (National Geographic News is owned by the National Geographic Society.)

"I have no problem with people going to the Titanic —I have a problem with people destroying the Titanic ," he said.

According to Ballard, "we have smoking gun evidence of all kinds of damage. We have a photo mosaic of the ship before any submarines showed up, and [today] we can show you where they've landed on the ship. We can show you where they knocked the crow's nest off."   (Explore a 2004   photomosaic of the   Titanic wreck .)

Ballard also stressed that many photos show the site littered with trash, including objects thrown overboard by surface support vessels and ballast dropped by submersibles.

"I don't mind the dives, but they should descend off site and drop their weights well away from the debris field," he said.

"Then they could drive over the wreck to visit it and don't touch it, and don't take anything, before driving away."

Titanic- philes Drawn to Deep-Sea Dive

But Deep Ocean Expeditions's McCallum said that his expeditions are cut of a different cloth.

"Most of the people going out there with us have an absolute reverence for Titanic ," McCallum said.

(Watch an animation of Titanic 's iceberg collision, breakup, and sinking .)

Danish investment banker and adventurer Per Wimmer is one of the people already signed up for the 2012 Titanic anniversary dive. In 2008 he participated in the first tandem skydive over Mount Everest , and he is currently training for a space voyage in 2013 that would make him the first Dane in orbit.

"Pushing boundaries is the kind of stuff that gets me out of bed," Wimmer said.   Titanic also holds a special appeal, he added.

"This is probably the most recognizable object to dive to in the world, and this is the perfect time to do it," he said. Wimmer also believes the trip will honor those who didn't survive, rather than disrespect the dead.

"It's a very respectful visit that we'll do with dignity, and I think that's going to make it quite an emotional voyage."

Expedition organizer McCallum added that, other than Wimmer, very few of his other clients fit the profile of wealthy adventurers.

Instead they tend to be what he dubs " Titanic- philes," most of whom are "people of rather moderate means who've worked hard and saved hard to do this trip," he said.

"Some of them are relatives of survivors or people who died in the wreck. Others have just been captured by the Titanic story since they were kids, as many people are."

Titanic Dive to Leave No "Footprints"

The Deep Ocean Expeditions dive this summer will leave Titanic in the same condition—taking nothing away and causing no damage to the ship McCallum added.

"Occasionally you'll read about subs bumping into the wreck," he said, though he suggests the reports may be exaggerated.

"These are 50-million-dollar vehicles—you don't just bang them into things, and especially not at depth, where   pilots do everything they can to avoid bumping into anything because their number one fear is entanglement."

Instead, McCallum places most of the blame for Titanic 's increasingly frail condition squarely on Mother Nature.

"You're telling me that six seasons of infrequent visits by a small submarine that's neutrally buoyant at depth and virtually weightless have contributed a lot to [the Titanic 's] decline? I don't believe that's the case," he said.

"The ship is deteriorating rapidly because it's a metal ship in the salty sea, and it's been there for almost a hundred years."

(Read " Titanic Is Falling Apart." )

Picking Jewels Off Titanic

Meanwhile, Titanic discoverer Bob Ballard said he and other experts have proof that some groups have intentionally salvaged artifacts at the site.

"We can show you where they took the light off" a part of the wreck, he said.

Salvage operators "have denied taking anything off the Titanic proper. How can they say they didn't take it off the ship when we have photos of it on the ship, and now it's in an exhibit?"

It's becoming far easier to perform illegal salvage on the site now that remotely operated vehicle (ROV) technology has proliferated so widely, Ballard added.

"Pandora's box has been opened," he said. "ROVs are owned by a lot of private individuals. So it's as if there is a museum down there with no lock on it. Do you go through the doors to appreciate it—or to plunder it?"

Ballard said Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts has recently introduced a bill that would add more teeth to the R.M.S. Titanic Maritime Memorial Act of 1986, which is meant to protect the site.

"The submersibles these companies lease are government owned by Russia and France, and the pilots are civil servants," he said.

Getting those countries to agree to additional anti-salvage protections could go a long way toward allowing the ship to rest in peace, he said.

(See   pictures of Titanic 's rediscovery .)

Can Titanic Be Saved?

Ballard also agreed that time and natural elements have taken an enormous toll on the ship, and there's no telling how long Titanic might last.

But the explorer has an ambitious plan to combat nature as well—he's applied for a permit to clean the ship's hull and use robots to coat it with anti-fouling paint.

"When I first came to the ship in 1985, I saw original anti-fouling paint on the bottom and no corrosion there. It works, but obviously they didn't think they'd need to paint the whole ship with anti-fouling paint."

Today's supertankers use robots to clean and paint their hulls underwater, Ballard explained, making his plan technically feasible.

It's also well worth doing, he said, "so the hull doesn't splay open and expose the highly preserved interior with its precious contents."

For instance,   James Cameron 's recent Titanic footage "shows the Turkish baths looking like they're   about to be turned on."

If Ballard has his way, someday adventurous divers with deep pockets won't be the only ones to visit Titanic .

"We can use remote imaging technology to turn the Titanic into an underwater electronic   museum,"   he said. "That way it would be accessible to everyone."

Related Topics

• SCUBA DIVING
• BURIAL GROUNDS
• ARCHAEOLOGY
• SURVIVAL SKILLS

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Here’s How You Can Visit the Wreck of the Titanic—for $125,000

A series of expeditions will take tourists down to the ill-fated ship in 2021

Courtesy of NOAA/Institute for Exploration/University of Rhode Island (NOAA/IFE/URI)

You’re probably familiar with the RMS Titanic: in 1912, the world’s largest ocean liner of the day embarked on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York, during which she struck an iceberg, sank, and ultimately took more than 1,500 lives. The Titanic’s final resting place remained a mystery until 1985, when American marine geologist Robert Ballard and French oceanographer Jean-Louis Michel discovered the wreck in the crushing depths of the frigid North Atlantic, nearly 2.5 miles beneath the surface of the sea. 

Rather unsurprisingly, visiting the Titanic has become a bucket-list trip for maritime historians, oceanographers, and, well, anyone who has deep enough pockets to go. However, expeditions are rare: only one team has visited the site in-person in the last 15 years. But all that’s about to change.

OceanGate Expeditions , a company that provides well-heeled clients with once-in-a-lifetime underwater experiences, has announced a series of six trips to the Titanic via submersible in 2021. Each has space for nine paying tourists, whose $125,000 tickets will help offset the cost of the expeditions (and put a pretty penny in the pocket of OceanGate owner Stockton Rush).

OceanGate’s expeditions will each run for 10 days out of St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada. Nine tourists, who are actually dubbed “mission specialists” on this expedition, will join the expedition crew on each sailing, and they’ll be expected to participate in the research efforts—this isn’t just a sightseeing affair. OceanGate’s goal is to extensively document the Titanic wreck before it disintegrates entirely due to a deep-sea bacteria that eats iron, which researchers are concerned might happen within the next few decades. As this is a scientific project, mission specialists will have to meet certain physical criteria to ensure their compatibility with the expedition, not to mention training, which includes a test dive.

On each expedition, each mission specialist will be able to partake in a single six- to eight-hour dive to the Titanic via the private Titan submarine, which includes the 90-minute descent and 90-minute ascent. The sub seats five—a pilot, a scientist or researcher, and three mission specialists—and it does have a small, semi-private bathroom for emergencies, in case you were wondering.

Now, it should be known that this isn’t OceanGate’s first attempt to visit the iconic wreck: two previous expeditions had to be scrubbed. (In 2018, the sub was hit by lightning, and its electrical systems were fried, and in 2019, there were issues with sourcing a ship for the expedition.) But hey, perhaps the third time's the charm!

Several international treaties protect the Titanic—the wreck sits in international waters—but their primary goal is to prevent looters and illegal salvage operations from damaging and disrespecting the wreck. However, in terms of tourism, it’s actually perfectly legal to visit the wreck, so long as the expedition doesn’t intrude upon it (i.e., land on the deck or enter the hull.)

“A review of the International Agreement on Titanic, as well as the 2001 UNESCO Convention on Underwater Cultural Heritage, would reveal that non-intrusive visits do not even require a permit or authorization,” said Ole Varmer, a retired legal advisor to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), who was instrumental in negotiating the legal protection of the wreck. “The scope of the prohibition against commercial exploitation of underwater cultural heritage is to prevent unauthorized salvage and looting; it does not include non-intrusive visits regardless of whether they are for-profit or not.”

In terms of OceanGate Expeditions, the company is working with NOAA, the federal agency in charge of implementing the International Agreement on Titanic for U.S.-based Titanic activities, to ensure it follows all protocols set down by that agreement.

There are two major factors to consider regarding ethically visiting the Titanic. First, it’s a memorial site to the lives lost during the disaster, so the wreck should be treated with respect. But that, of course, is true of all memorial sites around the world.

“Speaking as one who visited Titanic’s wreck twice during RMS Titanic, Inc.'s 1993 and 1996 Research and Recovery expeditions, I see nothing unethical about visiting the wreck, nor about helping to defray the significant expense of bringing a visitor to the wreck,” explained Charles Haas, president of the Titanic International Society. “People around the world learn by seeing and visiting. They pay for access to museums, cathedrals, monuments, exhibitions, and, yes, final resting places.”

But second, it’s a fragile piece of cultural heritage. It should be protected—the expedition organizer must take appropriate steps to ensure that it won’t disturb the wreck.

“In the past, submersibles visiting the site by RMS Titanic, Inc. [the only company legally allowed to salvage the wreck], and others have rested on the deck of the hull portions,” says Varmer. “That practice has likely caused some harm and exacerbated the deterioration of the site.  Hopefully, that will no longer be practiced or permitted.”

Per OceanGate’s description of its expeditions, the company’s submersible won’t disturb the wreck, so if you have $125,000 lying around, fee; free to spring for the bucket-list trip of 2021!

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Titanic: What's left to see of the world's most famous shipwreck?

More than 111 years after it sank, the Titanic remains one of the world's most famous shipwrecks and a source of huge intrigue.

With the vessel having long been deemed too fragile to raise back to the surface, the only hope researchers and explorers have had of seeing what's left is to head underwater.

Titanic sub search - follow live

It had already been more than 70 years since the Titanic collided with an iceberg on its maiden voyage when it was finally discovered off Newfoundland, Canada, in 1985.

More than 1,500 people were killed, with just 705 survivors.

What was left when the Titanic was found?

The wreckage was found by a French-American expedition.

The ship had been split into two pieces some 2,600ft apart, with the stern (the back of the hull) left largely unrecognisable but the bow (the front) remarkably intact.

Incredible images from the site featuring the Titanic's bow, a propeller, an officer's cabin window, and even several cooking pots and dozens of dinner plates led news bulletins around the world at the time.

It kicked off a wave of expeditions to the wreckage, including further research ventures, and famous trips by film director James Cameron to get footage for his 1997 blockbuster based on the tragedy.

The bow flooded slowly and more smoothly than the stern, and has proved easier to traverse. Explorers have been inside toilets and bathrooms, and you can watch footage online from inside a reception room and dining area.

Staff rooms and cargo holds have also been explored, though some of the most iconic parts of the bow's interior, including the grand staircase, are thought to have been destroyed when the Titanic sank.

Some items recovered over the years have sold at auction , including a lunch menu saved by a first-class passenger that fetched $88,000 (£58,000) back in 2015 , shaving kits, children's toys, and tobacco pipes.

What can be seen now?

Since 2021, OceanGate - the operator of a submersible that has gone missing exploring the site - has offered commercial missions, with tickets costing $250,000 (£195,000) for an eight-day trip .

Last year, the company released new footage showing the ship's bow, port side anchor, hull, and anchor chain.

It said it had noticed some differences at the wreckage compared to its previous visits, as the 12,500ft depths of the North Atlantic continue to place immense strain on what remains.

Along with the deep sea currents themselves, scientists have said the ship is succumbing to metal-eating bacteria called halomonas titanicae, with more holes spreading across the wreck.

Other marine life also now calls the area of the wreckage home, and rusticles hang from the hull.

Since being found, the forward mast, crow's nest, poop deck, and the captain's bathtub are known to have either been destroyed or disappeared - and there are fears the iconic bow could soon follow.

How long does the wreckage have left?

While the wreckage is protected by the United Nation's UNESCO heritage programme and a UK-US agreement , scientists have long been concerned that too many expeditions risk causing the Titanic to decay faster.

OceanGate has said the ship's deterioration makes their expeditions all the more important, so those visiting the wreckage can see it before it disintegrates and researchers can try to unlock more secrets of the disaster.

The company's missions are "conducted respectfully" and comply with UNESCO guidelines, it says on its website.

Experts have suggested the Titanic may no longer be explorable within the next 10 to 15 years.

Researchers have prepared for the inevitable by creating a digital twin of the Titanic , which recreates the ship in never-before-seen detail.

Titanic expert Parks Stephenson said it is "the beginning of a new chapter" for Titanic exploration and research.

This Historic Photograph May Depict the Iceberg That Sank the Titanic

The image, which sold for $22,000 at auction this week, was taken aboard a recovery vessel days after the famous ocean liner went down

Julia Binswanger

Daily Correspondent

Over a century after the Titanic hit its fateful iceberg, the ship remains a haunting symbol of human innovation, hubris and tragedy. This week, Henry Aldridge auction house in Devizes, Wiltshire sold an “extremely rare” black and white photograph of an iceberg —that some believe is the one that sank the Titanic—for £17,500 (about $22,000).

The Titanic struck its iceberg on April 14, 1912, resulting in approximately 1,522 deaths of the 2,240 passengers and crew onboard. A few days after the ocean liner sank, a recovery ship, the C.S. Mackay-Bennett , went to gather the bodies from the ocean. During the mission, someone onboard took a photograph of an iceberg.

On the ship was John R. Snow, Jr ., whose family company was the largest undertaking firm in Nova Scotia. Snow played a large role in overseeing recovery efforts following the Titanic disaster.

The embalmers on the C.S.  Mackay-Bennett recovered 306 bodies, but the ship only had 100 coffins onboard. Snow’s men placed 100 bodies in the caskets and wrapped an additional 90 corpses in canvas material. For the remaining 116 bodies, the men performed sea burials.

According to Artnet ’s Verity Babbs, a vendor of Henry Aldridge acquired the five-by-three-inch photograph of the iceberg from Snow’s family in the 1990s. Thus, it is possible that John R. Snow, Jr. took the photograph himself.

The photograph was sold as part of Henry Aldridge’s Auction of Titanic, White Star and Transport Memorabilia sale on April 27. The auction house calls the photograph “extremely rare,” and the sale exceeded expectations, quadrupling the photographer's low estimate of £4,000 (about $5,000).

“Nobody can say for sure that this was the iceberg that sank the Titanic,” auctioneer Andrew Aldridge tells the Daily Mail ’s Lettice Bromovsky. “But what we can say is that after the rescue ship Carpathia , the Mackay-Bennett was one of the first ships to reach the wreck site and that the undertaker on board decided to take a photo of this iceberg.”

During the sale, the auction house also sold big ticket items like a gold pocket watch with the initials of John Jacob Astor IV , the richest passenger on the Titanic. Astor’s watch sold for £1.175 million (roughly $1.4 million). The auction house also sold the violin case of the ship’s bandleader Wallace Hartley for £360,000 (about $450,000). The actual violin sold in 2013 for £1.1 million (about $1.7 million at the time). Hartley is famously depicted in James Cameron’s 1997 film , playing as the ship sinks.

The impressive numbers from the sale speak to the enduring legacy of the Titanic.

“Titanic is probably, next to Noah’s ark, history’s most famous ship,” Charles Haas , president of the Titanic International Society , tells the New York Times ’ Derrick Bryson Taylor.

“The Titanic story has already lasted 112 years,” he adds. “And while there are people out there who say, ‘The ship sank, get over it,’ it has so much built-in drama to it that the younger generations are still quite fascinated by it.”

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Julia Binswanger is a freelance arts and culture reporter based in Chicago. Her work has been featured in WBEZ,  Chicago magazine,  Rebellious magazine and  PC magazine. 

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New study may finally explain real reason behind fatal Titan sub implosion

Scientists have a theory for why the vessel imploded last summer.

Jess Battison

A new study may finally explain the real reason behind the fatal Titan submersible implosion.

Last June, five people died when the OceanGate vessel descended thousands of feet deep on a journey to visit the wreck of the Titanic.

Contact was lost with the sub on 18 June, prompting a huge search effort which the internet became absolutely obsessed with.

However, with the vessel’s oxygen supply predicted to have ran out on 22 June, a ‘debris field’ was discovered and it was confirmed the Titan was destroyed by a ‘catastrophic implosion ’.

Hamish Harding, Paul-Henri Nargeolet, Shahzada Dawood, Suleman Dawood, and OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush were those on board.

Researchers from the University of Houston recently published a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, detailing their theory of why the sub imploded.

It is suggested the five men who lost their lives on the Titan sub could have been victims of ‘micro-buckling’.

The researchers theorised that small imperfections in the ‘thin-walled structure’ may have become more damaged with every trip it took to visit the Titanic before finally giving way to the ‘immense pressure’ of the ocean on the doomed trip on 18 June.

The experts examined how the ‘slenderness’ of a hemispherical shell with random imperfections is more susceptible to buckling. They also looked at the potential of micro-buckling based on the sub’s shape by using computer simulations.

One of the author’s of the study and the department chair of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Roberto Ballarini explained this to New York Post: “Buckling in the simplest explanation: you take a long spaghetti and you push on it with two fingers. What’s going to happen? It’s going to buckle essentially, it’s going to snap.

“That’s what buckling is. It’s when you compress something and it deforms by a significant amount because it’s an instability.”

The researcher did stress that their study didn’t directly examine if micro-buckling was a contributor of the OceanGate sub’s implosion, but instead looked at vessels of similar material and shape.

Before its fatal trip, the Titan sub had reportedly made over 50 dives without experiencing any issues. But it’s theorised that each of those trips might have caused developing damage to the hull.

Ballarini added that the possibility that the carbon fire composite hull had degraded in some way is something for experts to be considering.

Officials are still investigating the evidence that was successfully recovered from the Titan sub wreckage.

A timeline of the Titan submersible disaster:

The Titan loses contact with support vessel

The Polar Prince loses contact with the Titan around one hour and 45 minutes into its descent on 18 June. A few hours after the submersible was supposed to resurface, the US Coast Guard received a report of an overdue submersible.

Search operation is launched

The US Coast Guard launch a large-scale operation on 19 June 2023, when the vessel fails to resurface or make contact almost 24 hours on.

'Banging noises' are detected

Two days on from the Titan's disappearance on 21 June 2023, it's reported that sonar crews taking part in the search pick up 'banging noises', giving false hope that the passengers are still alive.

The Titan's oxygen supply 'runs out'

At 1pm E.T on 22 June 2023, the submersible's 96-hour oxygen supply is predicted to have ran out, cementing fears for the crew onboard.

A 'debris field' is discovered, leading to the realisation of a 'catastrophic implosion'

The US Coast Guard confirms the Titan was destroyed by a ‘catastrophic implosion’ - a result of both enormous water pressure and failed materials - with the loss of all five people aboard.

Topics:  Science , Technology , Titanic , Titan Submersible , US News

Jess is an Entertainment Journalist with a love of all things pop culture. Her main interests include keeping up with the Twitter girlies, waiting for a new series of The Traitors and losing her voice at a Beyoncé concert. She graduated with a first in Journalism from City, University of London in 2021 and has previously worked at MyLondon.

@ jessbattison_

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John edward jones is said to have endured '27-hours of claustrophobic hell' inside the nutty putty cave in utah.

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