Titanic's secrets of the deep
SHE lies in cold, still waters
deep beneath the Atlantic,
the once proud and pristine
Ship of Dreams is
now slowly but surely
crumbling away as time, inexorably,
takes its corrosive toll.
It was 96 years ago that Titanic,
then hailed as the greatest and
most luxurious passenger liner of
her time, began her ill-fated maiden
voyage from Southampton to
New York, a destination the ship
was never to see.
Now in a race against time and
using the latest technology, a brand
new series of amazing images has
been published capturing the
graveyard wreck that is constantly
under attack from the sea and
which slowly but surely is crumbling
away in clouds of rust.
These are some of the clearest
views of Titanic ever seen, or will
ever be seen as the wreck is rapidly
deteriorating and some experts
consider that soon the White Star
ship's legend will be all that
remains of the vessel, once dubbed
the Ship of Dreams.
The story of
Titanic and the
dreadful disaster that befell the
passengers after the liner struck
an iceberg, is one that has claimed
a unique place in maritime history
while the circumstances surrounding
the huge loss of life still captures
the imagination of countless
people around the globe.
This weekend a series of events
taking place in Southampton will
commemorate the catastrophe that
overwhelmed Titanic, the hundreds
of local crew members who
went down with the ship and the
lasting legacy the White Star liner
still casts over the city, nearly a
century later.
Titanic now rests 12,500 feet
below the Atlantic's surface in a
gloomy, watery world that only a
few have visited since the ship's
death dive into the abyss on the
night of April 14, 1912.
The indomitable, Millvina Dean
from Woodlands, near
Southampton, now aged 96, is the
world's last living survivor from
that terrible event, when the liner
plunged to the bottom of the ocean.
As one by one the personal memories
disappear the most tangible
reminder of the Titanic story is
the wreck itself.
A remarkable new book,
Titanic,
The Last Great Images by Dr
Robert Ballard, who previously
searched tirelessly for the wreck
and discovered it in 1985, charts
his latest expedition, with a stunning
series of high definition photographs.
Dr Ballard said: "When it comes
to Titanic, I feel a sense of responsibility.
I suppose it's like discovering
historical or archaeological
sites: it's not yours, it's owned by
the human race, but one worries
about it, one tries to protect it, and
does everything one can for it.''
Over the years between the
author's initial
dive on Titanic
and his latest
visit to the
wreck he
became increasingly
annoyed
at what was
happening to
Titanic.
"To sit by for
20 years and
watch everyone
have their
way with Titanic - often doing things I wasn't terribly
happy about - was hard,'' said Dr
Ballard.
"I saw my return as an opportunity to
pay my respects to the ship, somewhat
apologising for the mean-spirited way in
which the wreck has been picked over
and vandalised.''
The book's underwater photographs
show the wreck and the surrounding
debris in painstaking details. These new
images reveal portions of the wreck from
a variety of perspectives during a
detailed tour of the ship.
Using high-tech underwater images, historical
black-and-white archive photographs
and period illustrations, the book
retells Titanic's history as never before.
Picked out from the darkness are
Titanic's great reciprocating engines and
massive boilers underlining the liner's
significance as the culmination of 60
years of intense competition between different
shipping lines as their vessel crisscrossed
the globe.
The still gleaming telemotor on her
bridge, the opening to the crow's nest and
the lifeboat davits still poignantly extended
outboard remain the tell-tale sign of
the dreaful night Titanic slipped beneath
the waves.
A glimpse of champagne bottles scattered
across the sea floor or the gap that
once held the magnificent first-class staircase
evokes the differing social classes
and the demarkations of accommodation
on the vessel.
Other images capture the human
tragedy. A leather suitcase or a pair of
shoes marks where a body once lay,
together with other haunting reminders
of the passengers who found themselves
helplessly trapped as the doomed liner
sunk to the bottom of the sea.
Dr Ballard, absolutely passionate about
Titanic, once described the experience of
seeing the wreck: "The debris hit me the
hardest. Here in that ghostly expanse of
seafloor 350 miles off Newfoundland, the
people who died during the frigid early
hours of April 15, 1912, spoke to me again.
"A case of champagne lay on the bottom,
its bottles still corked - a reminder of
Titanic's role as a floating palace of the
rich and powerful.
"The box holding the bottles had long
ago disappeared, consumed by wood-eating
molluscs. Next to them were tiles decorated
with a red-and-white design, possibly
from a public room.
"Suddenly my eye was drawn to a
woman's shoe, lying on its side. Nearby
were three large combs and a pair of
smaller shoes that may have belonged to a
child. And beside them was a hand mirror.
"How did these objects find themselves
together on the bottom? Did the larger
shoe belong to a mother, who combed her
daughter's beautiful long hair? What did
the girl's face look like that may once
have been reflected in this mirror?
"A short distance away were more shoes,
a pair from a young girl, and another pair
near what looked to me like a sailor's
black slicker.
"A pair of shoes cannot fall 12,500 feet
by themselves and land like this. Their
journey was together."
Titanic: The Last Great Images, Dr
Robert Ballard with Ian Coutts, published
by Madison Press Books, £25.
8:50pm Saturday 12th April 2008
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CommentPosted by: Keith Lloyd, Sunderland on 12:54am Sun 13 Apr 08
all but true sadly in the cold depths miles from the air we breath Titanic preserved by water sadly is fading away but her tale lives on. I no... WE never knew her passengers yet the world grieves for them still to this day. May they all rest in peace......
all but true sadly in the cold depths miles from the air we breath Titanic preserved by water sadly is fading away but her tale lives on. I no... WE never knew her passengers yet the world grieves for them still to this day. May they all rest in peace......
Posted by: JB Soton, Gosport on 1:07am Sun 13 Apr 08
As far as I am concerned the best WOW! factor Soton has! or should that be had?
As far as I am concerned the best WOW! factor Soton has! or should that be had?
Posted by: Anon, Southampton on 11:31am Sun 13 Apr 08
Totally agree with JB! If Southampton wants a WOW factor, why not build a large visitor centre or some kind of additional monument which is both striking and respectful.
Better than some stupid giant sundial, which noone else wants!
Totally agree with JB! If Southampton wants a WOW factor, why not build a large visitor centre or some kind of additional monument which is both striking and respectful.
Better than some stupid giant sundial, which noone else wants!
Posted by: TR, somerset on 1:02pm Sun 13 Apr 08
Christopher mills (crew) on the titanic was a lodger at my great grandparents in albert rd.He was picked up in collapsible lifeboat c,my grandmother went to see the maiden voyage of Titanic as her father worked in southampton docks.yes a vistor centre would be good , may they all rest in peace
Christopher mills (crew) on the titanic was a lodger at my great grandparents in albert rd.He was picked up in collapsible lifeboat c,my grandmother went to see the maiden voyage of Titanic as her father worked in southampton docks.yes a vistor centre would be good , may they all rest in peace
Posted by: Kathy and Glen Whaley, Round Rock, Texas on 2:58pm Mon 14 Apr 08
Today , April 14th, we pay our deepest respect to RMS Titanic,her people,and especially to Thomas Andrews. It is a very sad day even 96 years later. May God bless them and may they rest in peace, as they forever will be in our hearts.
Kathy and Glen Whaley Round Rock, Texas
Today , April 14th, we pay our deepest respect to RMS Titanic,her people,and especially to Thomas Andrews. It is a very sad day even 96 years later. May God bless them and may they rest in peace, as they forever will be in our hearts.
Kathy and Glen Whaley Round Rock, Texas
Posted by: Melanie Bous, Shasta, California on 7:19pm Mon 14 Apr 08
Like no other event in history, Titanic remains in our hearts. She never stops calling to us to remember her crew, the passengers, and the loss of all those dreams 96 years ago. Rest in Peace, Titanic.
Like no other event in history, Titanic remains in our hearts. She never stops calling to us to remember her crew, the passengers, and the loss of all those dreams 96 years ago. Rest in Peace, Titanic.
Posted by: Derek Evans, Derbyshire on 12:19am Tue 15 Apr 08
Since my father told me of the TITANIC I have always been fascinated, More so when it was discovered, It is a pity that part of it cannot be raised to actually prove that the plates were forced away from the rivets causing water to rush into the forward section!Continually interested, Derek Evans.
Since my father told me of the TITANIC I have always been fascinated, More so when it was discovered, It is a pity that part of it cannot be raised to actually prove that the plates were forced away from the rivets causing water to rush into the forward section!Continually interested, Derek Evans.
Posted by: Cally, Euclid, Ohio on 3:59am Tue 15 Apr 08
God Bless you all on this day of rememberance and for those who have shared the story of the Titanic.
God Bless you all on this day of rememberance and for those who have shared the story of the Titanic.
Posted by: Darrell MacInnis, Nova Scotia,Canada on 4:05am Tue 15 Apr 08
Such a beautiful ship,and a fine example of excellence in shipbuilding.May everyone who lost their lives REST IN PEACE. May TITANIC live forever in our future.
Such a beautiful ship,and a fine example of excellence in shipbuilding.May everyone who lost their lives REST IN PEACE. May TITANIC live forever in our future.
Posted by: OLADEJI DOMINIC KAYODE, LAGOS, NIGERIA on 12:36pm Tue 15 Apr 08
EVERY TITANIC STORY COULD BE EMOTIONAL.
EVERY TITANIC STORY COULD BE EMOTIONAL.
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