Using two remotely operated submersibles, a team of researchers spent six weeks last summer in the North Atlantic mapping the entire shipwreck and the surrounding 3-mile debris field, where passengers' personal belongings, such as shoes and watches, were scattered.
Richard Parkinson, founder and CEO of deep-sea exploration company Magellan, estimates that the resulting data – which includes 715,000 images – is 10 times larger than any previously available underwater 3D model.
3D model of the Titanic.
“It's a one-to-one digital replica, a 'twin' of the Titanic down to the last detail,” said Anthony Geffen, head of documentary production company Atlantic Productions.
The Titanic was on its maiden voyage from Southampton, England to New York City when it struck an iceberg off the coast of Newfoundland in the North Atlantic on April 15, 1912. The luxury ocean liner sank within hours, killing about 1,500 people.
The wreck was discovered in 1985, lying at a depth of about 12,500 feet (3,800 meters) below the sea, about 435 miles (700 km) off the coast of Canada.
Geffen said previous images of the Titanic were often limited by poor lighting and only allowed viewers to see one area of the wreck at a time. He said the new immersive 3D model captures both the bow and stern, which separated when they sank, in clear detail, including the serial numbers on the propellers.
The researchers spent seven months finalizing the vast amount of data they collected, and a documentary about the project is expected to be released next year. Geffen said he hopes the new technology will help researchers uncover details about how the Titanic met its fate and allow people to interact with history in a new way.
Parks Stephenson, a leading Titanic expert who was involved in the project, called the model a “game changer.”
“I am seeing details that none of us have seen before,” he said. “We have real data that engineers can use to examine the real mechanisms behind the breakup and sinking, getting closer to the true story of the Titanic disaster.”
Mai Anh (according to AP)
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