Researchers have completed the first full-size digital scan of the Titanic, showing the entire wreck in unprecedented detail and clarity. Using two remotely operated submersibles, a team of researchers spent six weeks last summer in the North Atlantic mapping the whole shipwreck and the surrounding debris field. The resulting data, including 715,000 images, is estimated to be 10 times larger than any underwater 3D model ever attempted before. The Titanic was on its maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City when it hit an iceberg off Newfoundland in the North Atlantic on April 15, 1912. The luxury ocean liner sank within hours, killing about 1,500 people.
The wreck, discovered in 1985, lies some 12,500 feet under the sea, about 435 miles off the coast of Canada. Previous images of the Titanic were often limited by low light levels and only allowed viewers to see one area of the wreck at a time. The new photorealistic 3D model captures both the bow and stern section, which had separated upon sinking, in clear detail. Researchers have spent seven months rendering the large amount of data they gathered, and a documentary on the project is expected to come out next year.
Parks Stephenson, a leading Titanic expert who was involved in the project, called the modelling a “gamechanger.” He said, “I’m seeing details that none of us have ever seen before and this allows me to build upon everything that we have learned to date and see the wreck in a new light.”
The new technology will help researchers work out details of how the Titanic met its fate and allow people to interact with history in a fresh way. It is hoped that this quality of scan will allow people in the future to walk through the Titanic themselves and see where the bridge was and everything else.
