Since the Titanic sank after striking an iceberg in 1912, haunting images of its bow resting at the bottom of the North Atlantic have become familiar. However, new photos from a recent summer expedition show a dramatic change in the ship’s appearance.
RMS Titanic Inc., the American company with salvage rights to the wreck, conducted the latest expedition, revealing that a 15-foot section of the previously intact railing on the front of the ship’s upper deck has fallen off and now lies on the seabed directly below its original position.
“We are saddened by this loss and the inevitable decay of the ship and the debris,” the company stated on its website. They plan to conduct a thorough review of the Titanic’s condition in the coming weeks and months, aiming to preserve and document as much as possible before it’s too late.
The July expedition, the company’s ninth since its first visit in 1987, brought together ocean imaging experts, oceanographers, scientists, and historians to capture new images of the wreck, assess its condition, identify artifacts, and contribute to conservation efforts. Over two million photos were taken, and the team searched for numerous artifacts.
One significant find was a two-foot-tall bronze statue of Diana, the Roman goddess of nature and hunting, discovered on the final day of the expedition. The statue, once the centerpiece of the Titanic’s First Class lounge, had been torn away and thrown into the wreck’s debris field when the lounge tore open as the ship sank. Although the statue was photographed during a 1986 expedition, its location remained unknown until now due to a tradition of secrecy surrounding the wreck.
Most of the Titanic’s art, made of organic materials, has decomposed in the harsh ocean environment. However, the statue of Diana remains upright among miles of debris, a testament to its timeless nature, according to the company’s Instagram post.
As scientists race to preserve the Titanic’s history, the wreck continues to deteriorate. In 2019, footage from Triton Submarines’ dives highlighted the ongoing impact of salt corrosion, metal-eating bacteria, and strong currents on the ship’s decomposition.
Source: CNN
