Rare video clips show the famous passenger liner Titanic lying at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, decades after its wreckage was discovered, and more than a century after the huge ship collided with an iceberg, which led to its sinking.
The recording, revealed by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution on Wednesday, was made nearly three kilometers below the ocean’s surface just months after explorers found the wreck in 1985, reports Al-Rai daily quoting Reuters.
Most of this footage has not previously been shown to the public. Since the discovery of the shipwreck, several documentaries about the Titanic have shown footage of it, and some short clips of the dives have been broadcast. But on Wednesday, an even longer 80-minute uncut clip was released to YouTube.
The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute said that the release of the footage “marks the first time human eyes have fallen on the ill-fated ship since 1912 and includes many other amazing scenes.” When building the Titanic, it was thought to be nearly impregnable and was the largest passenger liner in service at the time. It hit an iceberg on April 14, 1912 in the Atlantic Ocean during its maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York.
More than 1,500 people died when it sank, shocking the world and sparking outrage over the lack of lifeboats on board. A team from the Woods Hole Institution of Oceanography and the French Institute of Oceanography found the sunken ship, cut in two, southeast of Newfoundland, Canada, on September 1, 1985.
During 11 dives in July 1986, footage of the ship was captured with the cameras of a human-piloted submarine and a small remotely operated craft that moved through the narrow spaces. The reveal of the footage coincides with the re-screening of James Cameron’s 1997 film “Titanic”, marking the 25th anniversary of its release.
“By releasing this footage, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is helping to tell an important part of a story that spans generations and roams the globe,” he added.