Science
The company reported that the iconic front part of the ship has been harmed
New Photos From Titanic Show Long-Lost Statue and Damaged Bow. RMS Titanic Inc., the company that led the expedition, brought back two million photos of the site.
Updated 2024-Sep-26 18:00
The bow of the Titanic and an area where the railing is missing.
The USA attempted to take legal action against RMS Titanic in 2020 when the company declared its intentions to retrieve the Marconi wireless telegraph from the ship a process that would involve cutting into the vessel.
A federal judge approved the company s plans which were altered following the Titan submersible tragedy.
Government sought to intervene about a year ago contending that RMS Titanic required official permission to access the wreckage and debris.
This came after the Titan incident in June 2023 resulting in the deaths of five individuals attempting to explore the site.
Paul Henri Nargeolet the head of underwater exploration for RMS Titanic was one of the casualties.
The ship was under different ownership but the incident sparked concerns about visits to the wreck site.
RMS Titanic had stated to the court that it intended to retrieve the telegraph without government authorization before it collapsed.
In its first expedition to the Titanic in 14 years the company with exclusive salvage rights to the wreckage site said it had located a bronze statue thought to have been lost forever and it also discovered some deterioration of the ship.
RMS Titanic Inc. The Atlanta based company that has recovered thousands of artifacts from the ship over decades said in a news release on Monday that it had started its expedition on July 12 and spent 20 days at the site sending remotely operated vehicles to the ship.
Researchers brought back two million photos. But the company did not retrieve any artifacts this time changing its plans after lawsuits from the federal government and criticism from scientists who believe that the site should be left alone as a memorial to the victims.
The expedition comes about one year after the Titan submersible disaster killed a maritime expert who led research for the company.
A bronze statue of the Roman goddess Diana was a highlight. Last caught on camera in 1986 and thought to be gone for good by most experts Diana of Versailles a two foot tall bronze statuette of the Roman goddess Diana was spotted by the expedition team.
Finding the statue of Diana had been a priority for the team according to the company’s news release.
The replica once stood in the first class lounge of the ship on a mantle but the lounge was torn open when the ship sank and the statue was thrown into a debris field.
The figure of Diana the Roman goddess of the hunt was found lodged into the ocean floor with an arm raised from the ground still reaching for her arrow.
Her bronze coat barely stood out against the dark sediment. ImageThe bronze statue Diana of Versaille was photographed this summer by RMS Titanic Inc.
The statue once stood in the ship’s first class lounge. Credit. RMS Titanic Inc. Via Associated PressThe bow where Jack and Rose stood in the 1997 movie sustained damage.
The footage shows the partial collapse of a railing at the bow of the ship. The Titanic’s bow is featured in a famous scene in the 1997 film Titanic in which Jack holds Rose from behind as she pretends to fly.
The image was used in movie posters. As recently as 2022 images from a different expedition showed the bow’s railing still intact.
Tomasina Ray the director of collections at RMS Titanic said in a news release that the team was saddened by the evidence of decay which has only strengthened our commitment to preserving Titanic’s legacy.
However in a court filing from October 2023 it was mentioned that the upcoming recovery mission would be stopped to honor P.Nargeolet and his family as well as the four others who recently died at the location. Two remotely operated vehicles were utilized by researchers to obtain images and data of the wreck site.
The RMS Titanic team is currently concentrating on analyzing the data and images to present discoveries to scientific groups.
Despite facing criticism in the past the company has had exclusive rights to salvage artifacts from the wreck for thirty years.
Efforts from the government and scientists have been made to prevent disturbance of the wreck site and removal of objects.
The recent expedition in July focused on research rather than recovery although the company has retrieved approximately 5 500 artifacts during nine expeditions since 1987.
