New Titanic footage released, valuable bronze statue found

(Patria) - In previous footage of the sunken Titanic, the ship's bow was clearly visible in the ocean depths. However, the latest expedition has recorded the effects of the slow decay of the wreck, where now a large part of the railing lies on the seabed.

Namely, underwater robots filmed changes to the bow of the iconic ship that sank in April 1912 after hitting an iceberg this summer. In the tragic accident, immortalised in several films, 1,500 people died, reports Index.hr.

- It is the iconic bow. When you think of the Titanic and the shipwreck, you immediately remember it. It no longer looks like before. This is just another reminder of the slow decay happening every day.

People always ask us how long the Titanic will survive on the seabed. For now, we have no answer - said Tomasina Ray from the company RMS Titanic Inc, which conducted the expedition.

The team believes that a section of the railing, about 4 and a half metres long, fell off at some point in the last two years.

In the 2022 expedition footage, conducted by the deep-sea mapping company Magellan and the documentary production company Atlantic Productions, the railing was still intact, although it had begun to bend.

- At some point, the metal gave way and fell off - Ray explains.

That is not the only part of the Titanic lost on the ocean floor. The metal structure is constantly being eaten away by microbes, creating rust stalactites called rusticles, writes the BBC.

Previous expeditions have also witnessed the Titanic's collapse. In 2019, researcher Victor Vescovo discovered that one side of the officers' quarters was collapsing, making some ceremonial rooms no longer recognisable.

The company RMS Titanic conducted this year's expeditions in July and August. Using two remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), it captured more than two million photos and 24 hours of high-resolution video content.

The company also found a valuable artefact. Namely, Robert Ballard, who discovered the Titanic wreck, spotted and photographed a 60-centimetre bronze statue called Diana of Versailles in 1986.

Since its exact location was not recorded, no one had documented it again until now. However, RMS Titanic found the statue lying face up in the sediment of the debris field.

- It was like finding a needle in a haystack - said researcher James Penca.

The statue was displayed in the first-class lounge.

- The first-class lounge was the most beautiful room on the ship, and in its central part stood Diana of Versailles. When the Titanic broke in two, the lounge was destroyed, and the statue ended up in the darkness of the debris field - Penca explains.

RMS Titanic Inc is the only company with the legal right to collect items from the wreck. Over the years, the company has recovered thousands of items, some of which are exhibited worldwide.

Next year, it plans to return to the wreck again and attempt to retrieve the Diana figurine.

- Diana was a work of art meant to be seen and appreciated. And now it has been in the pitch-black darkness of the ocean for 112 years. I could never leave it there.

If we bring it back, people will be able to see it again, which will foster a love for history, diving, shipwrecks, and sculptures - Penca adds.