Published 15:25 IST, September 1st 2020
Wreck of Titanic was found on this day in 1985; read more about the great ship
After sinking in 1912, the wreck of the great ship “Titanic’ was found slumbered on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean on this day, i.e. September 1, in 1985.
After sinking in 1912, the great ship “Titanic’ was found slumbered on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean on this day, i.e. September 1, in 1985. In a joint US-French expedition, headed by famous American oceanographer Dr Robert Ballard, found the Titanic over two miles below the ocean’s surface by using an unmanned submersible called Argo. It is believed that the discovery gave new meaning to the Titanic’s sinking and gave birth to new dreams in ocean exploration.
(Image: @Titani_Account)
The famous ship was built in Ireland on behalf of the British-owned White Star Line. Titanic officially left the European port of Queenstown, Ireland, on April 11, 1912. With over 2,200 passengers and crew, the great ship began its maiden voyage across the Atlantic, headed for New York.
It was only three later, after setting sail, that the Titanic struck an iceberg, somewhere in the North Atlantic. Although it took the ship nearly three hours to sink, the vast majority of the crew and passengers perished due to a significant lack of lifeboats and improperly used of those that did exist. It is believed that nearly 1,500 people perished the night the Titanic sank.
73-years to locate Titanic
Efforts to locate and salvage the Titanic began almost immediately after it sank. However, it was after 73 years that the wreck of the RMS Titanic was located. The sunken liner was reportedly about 400 miles east of Newfoundland in the North Atlantic, some 13,000 feet below the surface. The submersible Agro travelled just above the ocean floor, sending photographs up to the research vessel Knorr.
On September 1, 1985, Agro was investigating debris on the ocean floor when it suddenly passed over one of the Titanic’s massive boilers, lying at the depth of about 13,000 feet. The body of the ship was discovered a few hours later. The oceanographer revealed that the great ship had split in two, but many of its features and interiors were remarkably well-preserved. Hundreds of thousands of bits of debris were found scattered in a two-square-mile radius around the ship.
(Image: @Titani_Account)
The wreck was then later explored by manned and unmanned submersibles, which shed new light on the details of its 1912 sinking. The great ship is now routinely explored, and several thousand artefacts have been recovered. In 1997, James Cameron’s film ‘Titanic’ also stimulated massive, worldwide interest in the ship’s fate.
Updated 15:25 IST, September 1st 2020