First-ever full-sized scans of Titanic shipwreck revealed, expected to pioneer research

First-ever full-sized scans of Titanic shipwreck revealed, expected to pioneer research

London: The first-ever full-sized digital scan of the Titanic, which provides a complete 3D reconstruction of the world’s most famous shipwreck, was revealed on Wednesday (May 17) — over 38 years after its discovery.
The unique model is expected to pioneer evidence-based research into what conspired in 1912, reported the BBC. Speaking to the UK’s national broadcaster, Parks Stephenson, a Titanic analyst said, “There are still questions, basic questions, that need to be answered about the ship….(it is) one of the first major steps to driving the Titanic story towards evidence-based research – and not speculation.”
Ever since the wreckage was discovered in 1938, the Titanic has witnessed decades of exploration, however, the ship, which lies 12,500 ft deep in the Atlantic, was only ever seen through snapshots. The new scan captures the wreck in its entirety, revealing a complete view.
Over 200 hours, 700,000 images later
Magellan Ltd, a deep-sea mapping company, undertook the scan in 2022. Submersibles, remotely controlled by a team on board a specialist ship, spent more than 200 hours surveying the length and breadth of the wreck, reported the BBC, adding that they captured over 700,000 images from every angle to create the 3D model.
Magellan’s Gerhard Seiffert, who led the planning for the expedition, told the BBC, “the depth of it, almost 4,000m, represents a challenge, and you have currents at the site, too – and we’re not allowed to touch anything so as not to damage the wreck.”
Parks Stephenson, an analyst who has been studying the shipwreck for years was quoted as saying that the scans are now showing “the true state of the wreck.”
“It allows you to see the wreck as you can never see it from a submersible, and you can see the wreck in its entirety, you can see it in context and perspective. And what it’s showing you now is the true state of the wreck,” Stephenson said.
“We really don’t understand the character of the collision with the iceberg. We don’t even know if she hit it along the starboard side, as is shown in all the movies – she might have grounded on the iceberg,” he explained.
Agencies

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