Exploring the Deep: The Titanic Expeditions

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Modern submersibles are also equipped with more advanced side-scanning sonar systems that can be used to create detailed 3D images of the Titanic and the seabed surrounding it.

For perspective, this is approximately the equivalent of a 1,155-story building. Currently, the world’s tallest building is the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, UAE, and it rises to a height equivalent to 163 stories. This can make the descent a lengthy and stressful event for crewed missions. As you may know, these types of expeditions can be incredibly dangerous. In fact, the recent OceanGate Titan expedition failed during the descent, as the submersible could not withstand the immense water pressure at that depth. Sadly, this doomed expedition resulted in the loss of five lives. Final WordsIn deep sea expeditions, MacInnis said, crews often worry about the “trinity”: fire, hull failure or entanglement. These specialized vehicles are designed to withstand immense water pressure while eliminating the dangers of sending people down to the bottom of the ocean. They can capture images and video footage and retrieve and manipulate artifacts with remote-controlled arms.

Metal components of the Titanic, such as its enormous hull, have undergone extensive corrosion. Constant exposure to saltwater and the immense water pressure has seriously deteriorated the ship’s metal structures. Organic materials, like the Titanic’s renowned wooden interiors, have decayed over the years. Everything about the Titanic and its doomed voyage is fascinating. Part of what makes it such an alluring story is that its final depth of 12,500 feet is challenging to visit. In many ways, its final resting place at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean means it almost feels otherworldly. This type of water pressure can instantly crush metal and destroy research submarines not specially designed to withstand these forces. Extremely Cold Water Temperatures Today, the Titanic remains deep beneath the surface of the North Atlantic Ocean. To be more exact, it is resting at a depth of roughly 12,500 feet or 3,800 meters below the surface. Given that the average depth of the Atlantic Ocean is approximately 12,100 feet, the Titanic sits at a particularly deep location.

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When the Titanic was sinking, the ship broke apart, but it was during the descent that the two pieces really separated. When they eventually hit the ocean floor, it is believed that they hit at different angles, which forced them even farther apart. In any accident, you really want an analysis of what went wrong. And I suspect in this case, there will be a lot of head scratching and [if lost] we’ll likely see an effort to recover it if they can.” The bow section, where most of the Titanic’s passengers would have been, actually sits roughly 2,000 feet away from the stern area of the ship.

On Monday, Rear Admiral John Mauger of the US Coast Guard told reporters that crews were “doing everything we can” to find the submersible. That said, exploring the ship’s interior is even more difficult than visiting its exterior, so much of it remains a mystery. Naturally, the tight spaces make manned missions extremely difficult. Even unmanned submersibles struggle to reach the ship’s interior without damaging it.The outcome officials are hoping for is that the vessel somehow limped to the surface and is drifting somewhere in the North Atlantic, awaiting rescue. Colossal water pressure will always be an issue when discussing any object that sits 12,500 feet under the water. At such a tremendous depth, the pressure is nearly 400 times more intense than you would experience at the surface. While the amount of time it takes to reach the Titanic’s depth will depend on the submersible being used, most expeditions tend to take between two and four hours to reach their final depth. MacInnis said that in the event the submersible is located deep within the ocean, any recovery will be “incredibly costly”. With that said, sediment and marine life are building up on the surface of the Titanic, which will continue to give the appearance that the Titanic is continuing to sink to further depths. How long does it take to reach the depth of the Titanic in a research submarine?