For the first time since the OceanGate Titan submersible imploded last year, a team of researchers is returning to the wreck of the Titanic to collect more digital scans and photos of the site.
The expedition is organized by for-profit RMS Titanic, Inc., the salvage company that collects artifacts from the wreck for public display at exhibition venues and touring shows. The firm last visited the wreck in 2010, and the re-survey mission will use ROVs to examine the site for signs of deterioration, new debris field discoveries, or newly-formed openings that could be used to send an ROV inside the ship.
To enhance the ROV's searching power, it has been fitted with ultra-high-resolution 65K cameras, capable of higher resolution than any that have been used at this location before. It will be able to produce 3D scans of unprecedented detail.
RMS Titanic, Inc. owns the salvage rights for the Titanic, and it hopes to have a closer look at one of the vessel's most coveted artifacts: the ship's radio, a Marconi wireless set, which sent the Titanic's SOS signal and summoned help in time to save some of the passengers and crew. The under-explored debris field will also be a new area of focus.
"We're going to be looking a lot at the organic material, maybe some luggage if we can find any passengers' belongings," said RMS Titanic director of collections Tomasina Rey, speaking to the BBC. "This is really a benchmark for us to go down and see how the metals are doing and see how the organic materials are doing, and see what is still in good enough condition and worth preserving."
RMS Titanic has chartered the multipurpose offshore vessel Dino Chouest for the 20-day expedition, and the vessel arrived on scene and lowered an ROV over the side on Wednesday. The company is live-blogging its finds on its social media channels.
After many months and countless hours preparing and testing equipment, the first #ROV is on its way down to the #TITANIC! ????
— RMS Titanic, Inc. (@RMSTitanic_Inc) July 17, 2024
This is the first ROV #RMST is sending down since the 2010 Expedition. We are beyond excited about the brand-new images and discoveries that lie ahead… pic.twitter.com/WlmeIfpxoC
In honor of the victims of the sinking - and the victims of the OceanGate Titan's implosion - the expedition will hold a commemorative ceremony at the site. It will also place a plaque on the bottom in honor of Paul-Henri Nargeolet, the company's research director, who was one of the five passengers aboard the Titan submersible and was killed in the accident.
