[imagesource:wikimedia]

The Titanic has been lying 3,800m beneath the Atlantic Ocean for the last 111 years, but the world is still fascinated with the ship’s tragic story.

Interest in the wreck peaked during the 90’s largely thanks to James Cameron’s blockbuster movie, but the depth at which the ship sits has kept it out of explorers’ reach, as well as made it safe from treasure hunters and the prying eyes of tourists.

Come to think of it, if the wreck was any shallower, some protestors would have glued themselves to the hull already. So it’s safe, and very inaccessible to anything but technology.

But thanks to modern scanning equipment we can now go back to where Jack and Rose’s love bloomed (although she eventually let him die so she could keep the diamond for herself).

The first full-sized digital scan of the Titanic gives us a unique 3D view of the entire ship, enabling it to be seen as if the water has been drained away.

Titanic analysts (yes, there is such a thing) have pointed out that there are still questions that need to be answered about the ship, and the hope is that the scans will shed some light on the murky mystery.

“The model was one of the first major steps to driving the Titanic story towards evidence-based research – and not speculation.”

The new scan captures the wreck in its entirety, revealing a complete view of the Titanic. It lies in two parts, with the bow and the stern separated by about 800m. A huge debris field surrounds the broken vessel – including Jack’s paintbrushes and easel.

The scan was carried out in the summer of 2022 by Magellan Ltd, a deep-sea mapping company, and Atlantic Productions, who are making a documentary about the project.

Remote-controlled submersibles took 700,000 images from every angle during a 200-hour mission, and these images have now been stitched together to create the most detailed images of the wreck to date.

“The challenge is that you have to map every square centimetre – even uninteresting parts, like on the debris field you have to map mud, but you need this to fill in between all these interesting objects.”

Historians are well aware of time running out to study the wreck as the ocean takes its toll on the ship, but hopefully, the amazingly detailed scans can give researchers the answers they are looking for. Like why Jack couldn’t just have climbed on the door with Rose. Why Rose, why?

Have a look at the video below and marvel at the mystery of the world’s most famous ship.

[source:bbc]