See How the Deep of Legendary Titanic Shipwreck Site
- BBC News
Boston – A submersible carrying tourists to the wreck of the RMS Titanic went missing shortly after it began its journey to the depths of the Atlantic Ocean last Sunday.
This prompted a frantic search by the Boston Coast Guard and Canadian Coast Guard. The missing boat was operated by the tour company OceanGate Expeditions.
It is known, the tickets cost US$250,000 or IDR 3.7 billion for an eight-day trip where groups pair up in smaller groups for up to 10 hours of submarine diving.
As information, Titanic sank on April 15, 1912, in the North Atlantic Ocean after colliding with a giant iceberg, on its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York.
Since the discovery of the wreckage, dozens of manned and unmanned submersibles have visited the underwater remains of the ship.
Penampakan terbaru kapal Titanic
- OceanGate
How Deep is the Titanic Wreck?
The decaying wreckage of the Titanic is split in two at the bottom of the North Atlantic Ocean, about 3.8 kilometers below the surface, off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada. The legendary ship was first discovered in 1985.
After leaving Southampton on April 10, 1912, the Titanic made stops at Cherbourg in France and Queenstown in Ireland before heading for New York.
On April 14, 1912, four days into the voyage, the Titanic struck an iceberg at 23:40 ship time.
At 02:20, with hundreds of people still on board, the luxury ocean liner owned and operated by the British company, White Star Line, sank killing an estimated 1,517 people under the command of Captain Edward Smith.
Despite repeated distress calls and flares launched from the deck, the first rescue ship, the RMS Carpathia, arrived almost two hours later, pulling more than 700 people from the water.
Before the sinking, it was the largest ship at the time and was designed to be 'unsinkable'. The luxury liner had an onboard fitness center, library, swimming pool, and several first-class restaurants and luxury cabins.
The wreck lay neglected for more than 70 years until the United States Navy discovered it in 1985.
Scientists say they believe the wreck will be gone by 2030 due to bacteria eating away at the metal. Most of the damage comes from a group of bacteria, Halomonas titanicae, which causes stalactite-like structures or rust-colored ice to form.
"Yes, like everything else, eventually, Titanic will disappear completely. It will be a long time before the ship is completely gone, but the decay of the wreck is expected and a natural process," said Patrick Lahey, president, and co-founder of Triton Submarines.
In 1996, Captain Smith's room and bath were on the starboard side of the ship, easily visible from submarines and surveillance cameras. But now, they are no longer visible.
Historian and Titanic expert Parks Stephenson said in a statement: "The captain's bathtub is a favorite image among Titanic fans, and now it's gone."
"The entire deck pit on that side collapsed, taking with it the staterooms, and the damage will continue."
