First things first, Jack could have fit on the door and floated with Rose. Well, today we are not talking about the movie Titanic starring beloved Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio. Today, we are talking about the real RMS Titanic wreckage lying on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean and the next expedition to explore what remains. Scientists and researchers make annual trips to the famed RMS Titanic and have recently found that the ship is deteriorating faster than expected.
Grab your favorite boat shoes, and let’s hit the water.
Expedition Basics
On annual expeditions to the wreckage, scientists, divers, and researchers map 3D models of the wreck, capture data, and images to supplement findings of recent investigations and document the wreckage via photos and videos. The trip also records flora and fauna living in the wreckage to get a better understanding of how the habitat changes in this marine heritage site.
The expedition will take place over several weeks, and there are currently 18 planned dives to the wreckage, approximately 12,800 feet below the surface. The trip will take depart from St. Johns, Newfoundland, and will travel 380 nautical miles to the wreckage site with a crew of 40 people.
Titanic, No More?
Well, the Titanic is far from gone. A behemoth of that size takes a long time to degrade. The ship has been on the bottom of the ocean floor for 109 years as of this April. However, the 2019 missions to the site revealed that the Titanic is rapidly deteriorating, much faster than expected. Scientists believe we may only have a few years left to visit the wreck site and document what is occurring as it becomes one with the ocean floor.
This year’s expeditions are unique in that civilians are also allowed to join as part of the crew of 40 exploring the wreckage. An application and interview process selected Mission Specialists to assist the researchers, pilots, and scientists in their mission to document the Titanic.
Joining the mission costs about $200,000, a pretty penny but one of the only chances to visit the dive site before it decays entirely. Is being a part of history worth that much?