Largest Underwater 3D Scanning Project In History Captures Titanic Shipwreck In Stunning Detail

The mysterious sinking of the Titanic, the luxury passenger liner, in 1912 has long been serving as a significant source of fascination for many.

Historians now believe that an advanced underwater scanning assignment may provide answers to some unanswered questions about the tragedy that took away the lives of over 1,500 individuals.

A group of scientists has made use of deep-sea mapping to come up with an exact Digital Twin of the Titanic wreckage for the first time ever, stated a press release on Wednesday from deep-sea investigators Magellan as well as the filmmakers — Atlantic Productions.

After executing the “largest underwater scanning assignment in history, researchers have managed to disclose the details of the tragedy and also uncover fascinating information regarding what happened to the crew members and other guests on the fateful night of 14 April 1912, per the press release.

Scans of the wreck had been carried out in the summer of last year by a specialist vessel that was stationed about 700 km off the Canadian coast, per the release. Stringent protocols prohibited the team members from disturbing or touching the wreck that investigators stressed and were treated with the utmost respect.

Every millimeter of the entire three-mile debris field was carefully mapped in minute detail, the press statement declared. The ultimate digital replica has succeeded in carefully capturing the whole wreck, including both the bow and stern sections that had separated following the sinking in 1912.

Parks Stephenson, a specialist who’s been studying the Titanic for about two decades now, hailed this project to be a “game changer” that has successfully managed to uncover never-seen-before details.

Stephenson said that they have actual data that engineers can take to scrutinize the mechanics behind the breakup as well as the sinking and get closer to the real story of the disaster.

One example may be seen on the vessel’s propeller where the serial number is seen for the first time in several decades.

Approximately, 16 terabytes of data and 715,000 images were gathered during this expedition. Magellan estimates this to be nearly 10 times larger than an underwater 3D model that has ever been attempted before, Richard Parkinson, the Magellan CEO mentioned.

Parkinson referred to the mission as “challenging,” referencing the team’s fight against the elements, technical challenges, and bad weather.

Whereas earlier optical images of the vessel had been limited by low light levels and the poor quality of light 12,500 feet underneath the water, the new mapping strategy has taken away the water effectively and let in the light, the press release mentioned.

Per Gerhard Seiffert, a 3D capture specialist, the extremely accurate photorealistic 3D model has helped enable individuals to zoom out and look at the wreck for the first time ever.
Seiffert added that this is the Titanic as no one ever saw before.

Per Stephenson, the mapping will start a new chapter for Titanic’s research as well as exploration.

References: CNN, CBS News

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