Watch: Titanic shipwreck's 'rare and never-seen-before' footage shot in 1986 released

In 1986, Robert Ballard, a member of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) crew that discovered the wreckage of the RMS Titanic, was struck by the enormity of the ship and the size of its shoes. As he descended to the site, he was immediately confronted by a towering wall of steel that rose over 100 feet above him, which he described as the first thing he saw coming out of the darkness. Ballard noted that he never looked down at the Titanic, but instead looked up at it, as everything about the ship was massive in scale. According to a report from the Associated Press, the WHOI has released never-before-seen video footage of the expedition to the wreckage, which includes 80 minutes of underwater footage.

Join the people who witnessed history when #HOVAlvin dove to #Titanic in 1986. @WHOI will be releasing never-before-seen footage from the historic expedition on Feb 15 at 7:30 PM EST. Watch live on YouTube! https://t.co/TIo2CFu7px pic.twitter.com/PEqZyfBZ2q

— James Cameron (@JimCameron) February 15, 2023

During his expedition to the wreckage of the RMS Titanic in 1986, Robert Ballard and his crew aboard the Alvin submersible were forced to surface after the submersible began taking on water. As they ascended, Ballard caught a glimpse of the portholes of the sunken liner. Although there were no human remains left, he did see shoes scattered on the ocean floor, which he likened to tombstones. These shoes appeared to belong to a mother and child and marked the final resting place of some of the 1,500 people who lost their lives when the ship sank after hitting an iceberg on its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York City in 1912.

What was it like to look at the Titanic?

“It was like people looking back at us. It was pretty haunting actually. After the Titanic sank, those that went into the water that didn’t have life jackets died of hypothermia and their bodies came raining down,” he said to the AP. The discovery of the RMS Titanic's wreckage was made possible by a partnership between the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and the French oceanographic organization Institut français de recherche pour l'exploitation de la mer. They located the ship 12,400 feet below the surface of the North Atlantic using a towed underwater camera in 1985, and returned the following year to capture the footage that has been released.

While previous attempts to locate the wreck were unsuccessful, the development of sophisticated underwater vehicles allowed the WHOI team to reach the ship. According to engineer Andy Bowen, the biggest challenges were the freezing water temperatures and the extreme pressure the equipment was exposed to due to the remote location and harsh environment.

The release of the newly uncovered underwater video footage of the RMS Titanic coincides with the 25th anniversary release of James Cameron’s Oscar-winning movie “Titanic” on February 10. The video, taken by the remotely-operated underwater vehicle Jason Jr., captures haunting images of the ship’s interior. James Cameron, the film’s director, expressed his fascination with the wreck and its human stories that continue to resonate more than a century after its loss. The Titanic was known for its size, luxury, and supposed unsinkability. Its passengers included some of the wealthiest and most famous people in the world, which is quite different from what cruise liners are known for today.

In that era, cruise liners were extremely exclusive and it was an experience that most people could not afford. The aftermath of the tragedy also produced stories of remarkable heroism and bravery among the crew and passengers. Robert Ballard, the explorer who discovered the wreck, explained that the story of the Titanic continues to captivate people today for these reasons. “I think everyone wonders in their own mind ‘If I were there, what would I have done?’” he said.