(CNN) — New footage has been released that shows the wreck of the RMS Titanic as it’s never been seen before: in full 8K quality, the highest screen resolution currently available. That’s a horizontal resolution of 8,000 pixels, or twice as sharp as a 4K TV. And it means there’s an unprecedented level of detail and color in this latest exploration of the 110-year-old wreck. The video was captured by OceanGate Expeditions during its 2022 visit to the site, which lies 2.4 miles below the surface of the North Atlantic, about 400 nautical miles from Newfoundland, Canada. OceanGate conducts expeditions to the Titanic wreck with crews of diving experts, Titanic historians and researchers, along with civilian expedition experts’ who pay $250,000 for the privilege of being one of the few people ever to see the final resting place of the legendary ship-hand. “The stunning detail in the 8K footage will help our team of scientists and marine archaeologists characterize the Titanic’s decay more precisely as we capture new footage from 2023 and beyond,” said Stockton Rush, president of OceanGate Expeditions, in a press release. What’s even more remarkable, he added, are “the apparent colors.”
Clarity he had never seen before
The newly released footage opens by raising the bow of the Titanic, which sank for the first time after the British passenger ship hit an iceberg on the night of April 15, 1912. Features of the ship, such as the name of the anchor manufacturer, Noah Hingley & Sons Ltd on the port side anchor, are now visible. “I’ve been studying the wreck for decades and have completed many dives, and I don’t recall seeing another image that shows this level of detail,” Rory Golden, OceanGate Expeditions Titanic expert and veteran Titanic diver, said in the release. The green lights seen on the port side anchor as the camera sails across come from the laser ranging system, explained Paul Henry Nargeolet, a veteran Nautile submarine pilot and Titanic diver. “This system allows us to accurately determine the size of objects […] The distance between the two green lights is 10 cm.” The five-person submarine called the Titan makes its descent in 2021. OceanGate “At the beginning of the video you can see the crane that was used to deploy the huge 15-ton anchor that is still on the deck of the wreck and the shackle that was originally attached to the main mast that has now collapsed,” Nargelot also explained. Later in the video we see three round structures along the inner railing. These, Nargelot said, are the triple Fairleads that once fed the mooring lines to the bollards on the shore to secure the 269m vessel when in port. The video also shows the first of the Titanic’s two hulls, its massive anchor chain (each link weighs about 200 pounds), the first of the Titanic’s six cargo holds, and the ship’s solid bronze captains.
Silent damage
There are also significant signs of decay where part of the ship’s rail has collapsed and fallen. “One of the most amazing clips shows one of the single-ended boilers that fell to the bottom of the ocean when the Titanic broke in two. Specifically, it was one of the single-ended boilers that was first spotted when the Titanic wreck was identified in 1985,” Golden said. “Comparing footage and images from [our 2021 expedition]we’re seeing slight changes in some areas of the wreck,” Rush said. “Our science team will be looking at 8K, 4K and other footage taken during the Titanic 2022 mission for any changes.” The stunning wreck is rapidly decomposing. Salt water and sea pressure have been silently wreaking havoc for the past century and more, while microbes eat away at the steel hull, creating thousands of fuses — those oxidized orange-green formations that hang from the Titanic like so many thousands of icicles. Some estimates say the ship will disappear in a few decades. It’s a comfortable fit inside the Titan. OceanGate OceanGate Expeditions hopes the new material will help determine the ship’s current rate of decay as future expeditions capture further footage that can be compared year to year. The video will also help scientists identify species seen on and around the Titanic, while archaeologists will be able to document the wreck and debris field in greater detail. Places are now open for the 2023 expedition, which will launch from Newfoundland in May next year. Those who launch into the depths will be one of only two or three hundred who have made the journey — fewer people than have traveled into space. Candidates for the 10-day mission (of which eight days are at sea) can contact OceanGate to discuss the qualifications, availability and price of the quarter-million. Top image: Above the surface on OceanGate’s 2022 Titanic Expedition (credit: OceanGate). read more
