New 3D Scans Of The Titanic Reveal Its Eerie Appearance Without The Ocean
By Nicole Rodrigues, 18 May 2023
111 years ago, the “unsinkable” Titanic met its demise on its maiden voyage and descended to the ocean’s bottom. The event led to the tragic event of 1,500 lives lost, the production of an award-winning movie, and a never-ending escapade to uncover its secrets.
Many have gone to its final resting place to better understand what happened that fateful night. However, since being discovered in 1985, its position under the sea has not allowed much of it to be seen. The dark waters and treacherous currents make it hard for machines to survey the area intensively.
In an aim to put these querries to rest, deep-sea mapping company Magellan Ltd. and documentarians Atlantic Productions have dived back down and resurfaced with new 3D scans of the ocean liner that show what it would look like if all the water in the sea was to drain away.
An army of robotic cameras was sent down to survey the area in 2022 where the ship rests, off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. 700,000 images were then produced and stitched together to create a new look at the vessel.
A new view of the Titanic! New scans reveal the world's most famous wreck as never seen before. They show the wreck in its entirety - it's as if the water has been drained away… Check it out here #Titanic
— Rebecca Morelle (@BBCMorelle) May 17, 2023
(Footage: @AtlanticProds/ Magellan) pic.twitter.com/1nOdfc7mWb
Gerhard Seiffert, data manager for Magellan, told BBC that procuring the images presented a challenge as the water and currents posed a challenge. The crew couldn’t touch or get near the wreckage to prevent further damage.
The new details take us right into the wreckage, with images of the rusting ship lying on the sea floor, its bow and stern, famously separated after the liner split in two as it sunk. So not only do we now have a clearer view of the liner, but the scans also show incredibly minute details of the vessel, including a serial number on one of the propellers.
The renders also depict areas such as the grand staircase, statues, metalwork, and even unopened bottles of champagne. Other personal items like shoes caught in the damage have been frozen in this desolate wasteland of rust and debris, reminding viewers of the lives lost in the tragedy.
The first full-sized digital scan of the Titanic has been created using deep-sea mapping.
— Ticia Verveer (@ticiaverveer) May 17, 2023
It provides a unique 3D view of the entire ship, enabling it to be seen as if the water has been drained away.
The hope is that this will shed new light on exactly what happened to the… pic.twitter.com/rT8imgnAmB
The scans aim to uncover the true mystery of what happened. In the same report, Park Stephenson, who has spent many years studying the Titanic, noted that even if the movies say one thing—such as the fact that the iceberg hit the starboard side—there is no actual confirmation that that was what happened. Scans such as these could open the investigation up to more possibilities.
Another reason these renders are essential is that the longer the ship remains underwater, the more its subjected to being washed away by the currents, with microbes eating away at this precious piece of history. So the scans are a way to preserve the ship and freeze it at this moment so that scientists can study it.
[via Futurism and BBC, Photo 25239533 © Andrea Crisante | Dreamstime.com]