‘Haunting’: Rare video of Titanic site released
This image provided by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution shows the bow of the Titanic 12,500 feet (3.8 kilometers) below the surface of the ocean, 400 miles (640 kilometers) off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada in 1986. Rare and in some cases never before publicly seen video of the dive is being released on Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023, by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution via AP)
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(NewsNation) — Rare video of the Titanic shared Wednesday shows new details of the vessel that struck an iceberg and sank in the North Atlantic in 1912.
The newly released footage paints a haunting picture of what was once the ship’s splendor. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution debuted the 80-minute underwater video from its 1986 expedition to explore the wreckage.
WHOI’s research submersible “Alvin” and its remotely operated vehicle “Jason Jr.” captured the chilling elegance that’s left behind: a swaying chandelier, broken fixtures, intricate columns and the rusted bow and deck of the ship.
It’s been nearly four decades since the ship was first discovered on the ocean floor in 1985. Robert Ballard was instrumental in finding the ocean liner and bringing images of the ship back to the surface.
Ballard told The Associated Press the size of the Titanic and shoes that appeared to be from a mother and baby struck him the most during the discovery.
“I never looked down at the Titanic. I looked up at the Titanic. Nothing was small,” he said.
“The first thing I saw coming out of the gloom at 30 feet was this wall, this giant wall of riveted steel that rose over 100 and some feet above us,” he added.
Ballard said the submersible was beginning to head to the surface when he noticed the Titanic’s portholes.
“It was like people looking back at us. It was pretty haunting, actually,” he said.
The release of the new video coincides with the remastered version of the “Titanic” movie hitting theaters for the film’s 25th anniversary.
“More than a century after the loss of Titanic, the human stories embodied in the great ship continue to resonate,” director James Cameron said. “Like many, I was transfixed when Alvin and Jason Jr. ventured down to and inside the wreck. By releasing this footage, WHOI is helping tell an important part of a story that spans generations and circles the globe.”
The Titanic’s final resting place is almost 12,500 feet below the surface of the ocean.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.