3D Digital Reconstruction Reveals Titanic Shipwreck in Harrowing Detail

Deep-sea specialists have created a staggeringly detailed 3D visualisation of the Titanic shipwreck, revealing the remains as they lay submerged beneath 2.4 miles of water at the bottom of the Atlantic ocean.

The Titanic is one of the most infamous and tragic shipwrecks ever to have taken place over the course of human maritime history. Public interest and curiosity has fueled numerous voyages to the liner’s resting place since its discovery by Robert Dune Ballard on September 1, 1985.

Yet, despite these efforts, many questions and uncertainties persist surrounding the sinking of the titanic on the night of April 14, 1912, which claimed the lives of over 1,500 passengers and crew. The unprecedented new view of the Titanic was created by deep-sea specialist company Magellan Ltd. A documentary chronicling the endeavour is set to be made by Atlantic Productions.

As reported by the BBC, the visualisation was pieced together from a staggering 700,000 images collected by remote controlled submersibles. Over the course of 200 hours, a crew of engineers directed the robotic explorers to scan the length and breadth of the colossal ship as it rested at a crushing depth 3,800m below the ocean surface.

The end result is a haunting view of the two halves of the Titanic surrounded and seperated by an enormous debris field of material that was dragged clear of the ship during its descent through the ever darkening waters. The entire scene is laid bare, as if the obscuring darkness that pervades the Titanic’s deep sea grave has been magically stripped away.

“The depth of it, almost 4,000m, represents a challenge, and you have currents at the site, too – and we’re not allowed to touch anything so as not to damage the wreck,” said Magellan’s Gerhard Seiffert, who was tasked with planning the ambitious expedition. “And the other challenge is that you have to map every square centimetre — even uninteresting parts, like on the debris field you have to map mud, but you need this to fill in between all these interesting objects.”

Whilst parts of the ship — including the vast bow section — are immediately recognisable, other regions of the ship near the stern have yielded to over a century of decay, appearing now as little more than tangled piles of metallic debris.

It is hoped that the detail and context provided by the scans will help shed further light on the events surrounding the sinking, before the wreck’s secrets are lost to the passage of time.

Anthony is a freelance contributor covering science and video gaming news for IGN. He has over eight years experience of covering breaking developments in multiple scientific fields and absolutely no time for your shenanigans. Follow him on Twitter @BeardConGamer

Image credit: Magellan Ltd.