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A team of experts, scientists and historians has embarked on a new mission to the Titanic wreck. Through the mission, the team wants to discover exactly how the ship sank in 1912. The latest technology is being used.
According to the American salvage company RMS Titanic Inc., which has all the rights to recover the wreck, this new mission is primarily aimed at reconnaissance. “We want to get a clear and accurate picture of the wreck, like never before,” David Gallo, the joint mission leader, told the BBC.
From Providence, Rhode Island, the ship sailed toward the wreck site. Weather and equipment permitting, it will remain above the wreck for about twenty days.
From there, two robotic vehicles will dive to the ocean floor to take millions of photos and a 3D model of the ship’s remains. In this way, researchers want to map a large area around the Titanic. According to them, much is known about the ship’s bow and stern, but not about the surrounding wreckage.
Ocean Gate
It’s the first commercial mission to the Titanic since the OceanGate tragedy last year. Five men died while traveling in a mini-submarine to see the wreck up close.
Members of the expedition carry a painting of one of the passengers, Frenchman Paul-Henri Nargeolet. In honor of their deceased colleague from RSM Titanic Inc., they placed it on the seabed.
Nicknamed Mr. Titanic, Nergolet was an expert diver who had dived to the wreck several times. The chief French investigator for the salvage company will also lead this new mission to the Titanic.
Last year, researchers used new techniques to create very clear 3D images of the shipwreck:
Titanic wreck in razor-sharp view on new scans
The Titanic sank on the night of April 14–15, 1912, during its maiden voyage from England to New York. The ship received warning signals indicating an approaching iceberg, but never reached the bridge. After the collision, the ship sank within three hours. More than 1,500 of the more than 2,200 people on board were killed.
Researchers still can’t explain why the ship, which was considered “unsinkable” at the time, sank. “There are still fundamental questions that need to be answered,” one Titanic analyst told the BBC last year. Until now, that has been mainly the subject of speculation. The new expedition should change that.