Current:Home > ContactMission to the Titanic to document artifacts and create 3D model of wreckage launches from Rhode Island -Elevate Capital Network
Mission to the Titanic to document artifacts and create 3D model of wreckage launches from Rhode Island
View
Date:2025-04-13 09:09:19
An expedition team was on their way Friday to the Titanic wreckage on a mission to explore the site and capture high-resolution photos. RMS Titanic Inc. has exclusive rights to recover artifacts from the wreckage, a privilege granted to them by a U.S. federal court order in 1994.
The company last went to the site in 2010 and they have so far found about 5,500 objects from the wreck, according to BBC News.
This mission, led by imaging experts, scientists, oceanographers and historians, will use new technology to survey the site. The crew will use remotely operated vehicles to capture images to assess the condition of the ship, which sank 112 years ago, as well as the artifacts left at the bottom of the ocean. They will also use the images to create a 3D model of the ship.
BBC News, a CBS News partner, had exclusive access to the expedition, which launched from Providence, Rhode Island. The team's ship, Dino Chouest, will sit above the wreck in the Atlantic for about 20 days.
Last year, five men died on a submersible while on a private trip to the wreckage run by the company OceanGate, which took high-paying customers to view the wreck about 12,500 feet under the sea.
The Titan sub launched from a research vessel and lost contact with the crew above about one hour and 45 minutes into its voyage. The submersible, operated by Stockton Rush, the CEO of OceanGate, imploded, killing him and his four guests, who paid $250,000 a ticket for the journey. OceanGate suspended its operations following the tragedy.
One of the men on board the submersible, Paul-Henri "P.H." Nargeolet, was the director of research at RMS Titanic Inc. He was set to lead this expedition, making it a moving mission for those involved.
"It's tough but the thing about exploration is that there's an urge and a drive to keep going. And we're doing that because of that passion P.H. had for continuous exploration," historian Rory Golden, Nargeolet's friend and chief morale officer of this mission, told BBC News.
The crew will hold a memorial service for the five men who died on the submersible as well as the 1,500 who died when the Titanic sank after hitting an iceberg in 1912.
They hope to document at-risk artifacts and broaden information about the ship — and the marine life — sitting at the bottom of the ocean.
The remote vehicles will take millions of photographs that will be used to make a 3D model of the wreckage. "We want to see the wreck with a clarity and precision that's never before been achieved," co-expedition lead David Gallo said.
"If all of the weather gods, the computer gods, the ROV gods, the camera gods — if all those gods align, we should be able to capture Titanic and the wreck site in as close to digital perfection as you can get. You would be able to quite literally count grains of sand," said Evan Kovacs, who's in charge of the imaging program.
In 2023, deep-sea mapping company Magellan Ltd. created a first of its kind digital scan of the ship's wreckage. The full-sized scan was created using submersibles that took more than 700,000 images of the ship over 200 hours. The images were used to make a 3D reconstruction of the Titanic.
The Titanic, which was dubbed an "unsinkable ship," met its fate on April 15, 1912, after it struck an iceberg in the middle of the north Atlantic and split in two, sinking and killing about 70% of the people who were on board for the maiden voyage from the U.K.
The wreckage was first located in 1985 by a crew led by Robert Ballard. About eight days into their expedition, they found the ship about 400 miles off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada.
A blockbuster movie directed by James Cameron and starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio still captivates audiences more than 30 years after it premiered. The 1997 film won 11 Oscars including best picture, best directing and best original song for Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On."
- In:
- Titanic
- Rhode Island
Caitlin O'Kane is a New York City journalist who works on the CBS News social media team as a senior manager of content and production. She writes about a variety of topics and produces "The Uplift," CBS News' streaming show that focuses on good news.
veryGood! (83361)
Related
- Nearly 400 USAID contract employees laid off in wake of Trump's 'stop work' order
- This Amika Hair Mask is So Good My Brother Steals It from Me, & It's on Sale for 34% Off on Amazon
- Anger over Houston power outages after Beryl has repair crews facing threats from some residents
- Builders Legacy Advance Investment Education Foundation: The critical tax-exempt status of 501(c)(3) organizations
- Angelina Jolie nearly fainted making Maria Callas movie: 'My body wasn’t strong enough'
- The stepped-up security around Trump is apparent, with agents walling him off from RNC crowds
- Arthur Frank: The Essence of Investing in U.S. Treasuries.
- Joe ‘Jellybean’ Bryant, the father of Kobe Bryant, dies at 69
- 'As foretold in the prophecy': Elon Musk and internet react as Tesla stock hits $420 all
- In Alabama’s Bald Eagle Territory, Residents Say an Unexpected Mining Operation Emerged as Independence Day Unfolded
Ranking
- Meta releases AI model to enhance Metaverse experience
- Why a London man named Bushe is on a mission to turn his neighbors' hedges into art
- Joe ‘Jellybean’ Bryant, the father of Kobe Bryant, dies at 69
- Rachel Lindsay Ordered to Pay Ex Bryan Abasolo $13,000 in Monthly Spousal Support
- Warm inflation data keep S&P 500, Dow, Nasdaq under wraps before Fed meeting next week
- More than 2 dozen human skeletons dating back more than 1,000 years found in hotel garden
- Builders Legacy Advance Investment Education Foundation: The value of IRA savings 2
- Jack Black ends Tenacious D tour after bandmate’s Trump shooting comment
Recommendation
Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people
Jack Black ends Tenacious D tour after bandmate’s Trump shooting comment
Exploring the 403(b) Plan: Quantum Prosperity Consortium Investment Education Foundation Insights
MLB national anthem performers: What to know about Cody Johnson, Ingrid Andress
South Korea's acting president moves to reassure allies, calm markets after Yoon impeachment
'Dance Moms' star Christi Lukasiak arrested on DUI charge, refused blood test
MLB players in the LA Olympics? Rob Manfred says it's being discussed
Ingrid Andress says she was 'drunk' during national anthem performance, will check into rehab