Back To The Titanic (2020) Movie Script
NARRATOR: Titanic,
the world's most famous ship.
Sunk over 100 years ago
and rediscovered in 1985.
She fascinates like no other wreck
and still has secrets to reveal.
There's sometimes about this story
that grips people.
Everybody finds something
in this disaster,
it's so varied and so all-encompassing.
NARRATOR: It's nearly 15 years
since anyone dived down to see Titanic.
The world is anxious
to know what'shappened to her.
There could be
a couple of major portions of the Titanic
that might have collapsed.
(INDISTINCT RADIO CHATTER)
NARRATOR: Now, a new expedition
is heading for the wreck site.
Okay, good to go.
MAN: (ON RADIO) Good to go.
NARRATOR: World-leading experts
armed with state-of-the-art technology.
Let's send this bad boy to the bottom.
NARRATOR: It's a race against time
to answer questions...
Okay, Tom, last check.
TOM: (ON RADIO) Roger that.
NARRATOR: ...and preserve Titanic
for future generations...
-STUART: Two minutes.
-MAN: Two minutes.
NARRATOR: ...before it's too late.
Let's go back to Titanic.
MAN: Prepare to dive. Prepare to dive.
MAN: Pressure Drop, all stations bridge.
ETA over the wreck
is approximately 10 minutes from now.
NARRATOR: The team is arriving
at the Titanic wreck site.
The ship lies three miles down in the icy
depths of the north Atlantic ocean.
Okay, so, welcome, everyone.
We wanted to meet this afternoon
to go over the dive plans
for the next two days, uh,
so you have two pieces of paper.
NARRATOR: The team gathers
to go over their mission.
A plan to carry out a series of dives
to Titanic over the coming week.
The first thing I'm gonna do
when I get down to the bottom is,
as I mentioned, I'm gonna
just go thrusters off
and I'm gonna see what the drift is.
NARRATOR: Victor Vescovo
has put this expedition together.
VICTOR: There could be
a couple of major portions of Titanic
that might have collapsed.
Most people are very interested
in the bow,
because the bow is still quite discernible
as the bow of the Titanic,
and I am hopeful
that it hasn't significantly collapsed,
which would be unfortunate.
NARRATOR: Nobody has dived down to Titanic
in nearly 15 years.
So, Victor's major concern is what may
have happened since she was last examined.
From the first time this wreck was seen
in 1985, with each expedition,
we've observed the condition of the wreck.
NARRATOR: Victor has gathered
world-leading experts
to ensure this mission is a success,
including Titanic specialist,
Parks Stephenson.
I've always seen the wreck as truly
the last surviving witness
to the disaster,
almost like a crime scene.
Well, that one will be fine.
I'm just gonna... I have to get dimensions
of the first platform that we have,
but I'm pretty sure
that it won't fit in there.
NARRATOR: Microbial ecologist
Lori Johnston
is another key member of the team.
She's responsible for collecting
important data on the wreck's condition.
From '98, I was able to dive
on Titanic, uh, six different times.
Uh, the last time
I personally saw it was 2005.
So it'll be very interesting
to see the amount of deterioration.
Okay, Roger that,
can you confirm the connectors?
(INAUDIBLE RADIO CHATTER)
MAN: Okay, roger that.
This is the deep submergence vehicle,
the Limiting Factor.
It's the deepest diving submersible
in the whole world,
and she is an absolute wonderful sub
and a beast.
She is so tough.
NARRATOR: The Limiting Factor
was specially designed by the team
for missions like this.
Okay, Tom, last check,
we're gonna just have Tim,
or maybe you can just
secure your own hatch.
TOM: Roger that. Securing hatch now.
NARRATOR: When Victor isn't piloting
the sub, Patrick Lahey will be.
Okay, Tim.
First thing is the pressure hull,
which is made of titanium.
Hull's about 90 mm thick, which is
three and a half inches in thickness,
and it has three view ports.
Two that are on the top
looking out through the port
and starboard sides
and then one lower view port
that gives you a great view
of the areas on the sea floor.
-Good.
-MAN: Turning starboard.
KELVIN: I mean, everything is so tight,
you know, everything is in tight corners.
NARRATOR: The team's fitting the sub
with a super-high-resolution 4K camera.
It's been specially commissioned
for this mission to film the wreck
in the best definition possible.
It's big, but delicate.
Having this camera here means that
we're gonna have to be very, very careful.
It's gonna make it a lot more difficult
for the launch and recovery,
and we're gonna have to be
really, really careful. Really careful.
So the hazards are, you know,
we are going deep,
and the fact that we're diving
around a human-made object,
we're around a wreck structure
with potentially strong current.
This wreck has been down there
for 107 years,
so, uh, it's inherently unstable,
and she lies across the current,
uh, which is running
up to two knots at a time.
Diving around a wreck presents
a unique set of risks and concerns.
The primary one being entanglement,
you know,
a wreck can have
things like ropes and obstructions
and things of that nature
that present a hazard to the craft.
The idea is to go here, and then we'll
come up here and pretty much, I mean,
everyone has told me not to get too close
and to be extremely careful,
because there are still wires.
NARRATOR: The success
of the first dive is vital.
It will allow the team
to plot additional dives.
Failure, and the expedition
could end abruptly.
ROB: Cool. If no one's got any questions,
then our next gig is 6:45
up on the foredeck, uh, tomorrow morning.
NARRATOR: Preparation is over.
Tomorrow, the team will attempt
to dive to the most
famous ship in history.
Weather conditions now are worse
than they were on the forecast yesterday.
NARRATOR: The first dive is due
to be launching in less than an hour.
(MEN TALKING INDISTINCTLY)
NARRATOR: But conditions
aren't looking good.
The crew's having to secure equipment.
STUART: So, the biggest waves you can see
coming through now are probably four,
four and a half meters,
which is pretty much double
the maximum limit for the...
To operate the sub.
(DRAMATIC MUSIC)
VICTOR: So, you called it.
STUART: It's not a nice decision to make,
and no one wants to make it,
-but it's the one that needs to be made.
-VICTOR: Yeah, I agree.
And the people downstairs know?
NARRATOR: The first launch is aborted.
If the bad weather doesn't pass soon,
the entire mission will be in jeopardy.
VICTOR: Let's go down
and announce it to everybody.
-Okay, good to go.
-MAN 1: Good to go.
NARRATOR: Next morning,
there's a break in the weather.
MAN 2: Setting five minutes.
Five minutes, okey-doke.
(RADIO CHATTER)
NARRATOR: The dive is on.
(CHUCKLES) We're going to the Titanic.
Weather's not bad.
It was rougher last night, I thought it
was gonna be rough this morning,
but it's laid down a bit,
so I'm comfortable with this,
we can launch in this.
Let's send this bad boy to the bottom.
NARRATOR: This will be
the first ever solo dive to Titanic.
-STUART: Two minutes.
-MAN: Two minutes.
(DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING)
MAN: Good luck, Victor.
Say hello to the old girl.
I will. Let's go back to Titanic.
MAN: (ON RADIO)
You're clear to dive, clear to dive.
VICTOR: Roger that, LF is clear to dive,
I've got a green board, pumps are now in.
NARRATOR: It will take Victor
one and a half hours
to reach Titanic's depth.
As you drop, light starts to fade,
hazy greenish at first,
and then gives way to black,
black, black, until it's pure black.
There's nothing really much to see.
So you descend into blackness.
NARRATOR: The wreck is nearly three miles
down where extreme water pressure
will push the sub and camera technology
to the very limit.
Surface, LF,
present depth one one two zero,
heading zero three seven,
life support good.
Roger, LF, understand your depth
is one one two.
NARRATOR: 4k cameras
have seldom filmed so deep before,
and even if this one survives the journey,
what will be left to film?
Surface, LF, present depth
three eight zero eight at bottom,
heading one eight zero.
NARRATOR: The first manned dive
in nearly 15 years is underway
to the world's most famous ship, Titanic.
PARKS: If we arrive on site and the light
starts to reveal massive collapse,
either like I'm predicting, or even worse,
I'm sure there's gonna be
an instance of regret.
NARRATOR: Titanic was the most
luxurious liner in the world.
When she set sail in April, 1912,
heading for New York,
over 2,000 passengers and crew
were on board.
Four days into her maiden voyage,
she it an iceberg and sank.
Around 1,500 people lost their lives.
There's something about this story
that grips people.
The way the disaster played out,
the length of time that it played out,
allowing all these different human dramas
and different classes of people,
everybody finds something
in this disaster.
It's so varied and so all-encompassing.
VICTOR: It looks like the edge
of something.
This current keeps pushing me.
NARRATOR: Where Titanic rests
is incredibly dangerous.
Strong currents swirl around the wreck,
making it extremely difficult
for Victor to reach and film his target.
VICTOR: I'm heading one eight zero.
I'm being very careful,
I don't wanna run into anything.
Where is it? I can't see it.
(SIGHS) There doesn't appear
to be anything here.
I have a bad feeling about this.
There we go.
There she is.
Oh, my gosh, I'm at the bow.
I'm at the bow of the Titanic.
(DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING)
Surface, LF has gone to bow of Titanic.
Bow of Titanic.
Yeah.
VICTOR: Just seeing the wreck
outside the view port, wow, amazing.
NARRATOR: Victor can now begin
the team's next objective,
to film the wreck and collect data
to assess its condition.
VICTOR: Coming up along the side here,
I can see rust formations hanging
from the famous handrails,
and there you can see
some of the A deck square windows.
NARRATOR: Victor pilots the sub
along the ship's exterior.
Curtains of corrosion
can be seen envelopingport holes.
When Titanic was first discovered in 1985,
she was in remarkable condition,
but her stern and bow
were located 600 meters apart,
having broken up on their descent.
As Victor heads past the bow,
towards the stern,
there's evidence
of human tragedy all around.
VICTOR: Wow, the sea floor is just...
It's littered with debris
from the ship breaking up
as it descended through the water column.
I can see tiles, some even intact bottles,
what looks to be crockery.
There also seems to even be
a perfectly preserved pair of trousers.
I think I'm approaching the stern,
I've got a big old sonar return.
I see you on the sonar, girl.
Can you see this? That's the stern.
Wow, just savaged.
Yeah, this is concerning,
there's jagged metal protruding
almost from all directions,
and I can feel a strong current
pushing me towards the wreckage sometimes.
NARRATOR: The dive has just become
much more dangerous.
(DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING)
A deep-sea sub
is investigating the wreck of Titanic.
VICTOR: Wow, just savaged.
NARRATOR: At the stern,
a powerful channel of fast-flowing water
now jeopardizes the safety of the dive.
VICTOR: I can feel a strong current
pushing me towards the wreckage sometimes.
NARRATOR: After several hours
fighting dangerous conditions,
Victor decides
it's time to return to the surface...
Surface, this is LF ascending.
...for the safety of the mission.
VICTOR: I am exhausted.
-(KELVIN CHUCKLES)
-VICTOR: Hi.
(LAUGHS)
-KELVIN: Oh, finally, eh?
-VICTOR: Titanic, done.
-Bow and stern.
-KELVIN: Good one. Good one.
PARKS: The dive is completed,
the sub's pulled in,
but really my work starts now.
Uh, all of the analysis work
that goes into the footage,
I've got to try and get that done
and get things identified,
so, um, it's gonna be
two busy days for me.
In a way, it was the most difficult dive
I've ever done,
simply because of the scale and the very
strong currents and visibility.
So, it was very much
diving into the unknown
and, uh, coming back with new information.
The condition of the wreck
and, uh, you know,
what had happened in the last 10 years.
NARRATOR: The first dive
has been a great success,
it's revealed
Titanic is continuing to decay,
but she's still intact.
This new information is allowing the team
to begin the next phase of their mission,
a more detailed forensic investigation.
Yeah, that's A deck promenade,
and this is the B deck here,
C deck port holes here.
This is starboard side.
Oh, this is badly corroded up here,
look at that, oh, it's gone.
-VICTOR: What's gone?
-Right, look at A deck, right after...
NARRATOR: Titanic specialist Parks
is studying the footage
to assess the state of the ship.
-What collapsed? It's part of the...
-It's the A deck.
NARRATOR: By comparing the footage
with images recorded
after Titanic was first found,
he can see the bow is still recognizable,
but the stern is showing greater break up.
The stern was absolutely shattered
on impact,
and so it is a mass of steel
and cables and fragments,
and I don't think it's been properly
conveyed just how dangerous
that area is and, frankly,
how unrecognizable.
NARRATOR: Strong currents
swirling around and eroding metal
are partially responsible
for Titanic's deterioration,
but experts think there is another reason
for the ship's uneven rate of decline.
LORI: Titanic is unique
in the fact
that it is dominated by bacteria.
NARRATOR: Microbial ecologist
Lori Johnston is one of the only people
in the world who can fully understand
what is happening.
On previous expeditions,
Lori investigated a phenomenon
only seen on some of the deepest wrecks
in the world.
Titanic is teeming with microscopic life.
Titanic, obviously,
had bacteria when it went down,
and they basically have become
the dominant organism.
NARRATOR: The bacteria thrive in areas
where metal is damaged
like buckles or fractures.
It is here that rusticles first form.
The term "rusticle" was sort of coined
when the Titanic was found,
and it looks like rust-colored icicle.
They're very sophisticated structures
because they're made up
of microscopic organisms.
So, when you put a rusticle
under the microscope,
the features in them
are extremely detailed.
NARRATOR: These organisms have adapted
to eat metal and their feed rate
looks set to intensify,
increasing the rate of decay.
LORI: The bacteria themselves
seem to be increasing
simply because there's nothing there
that can out-compete them
and because there's so much steel there,
and they're just in their glory,
taking out all of the elements
under the sea.
NARRATOR: This is a worrying discovery,
but there is one advantage,
the breakup allows the team
to see inside new areas of the wreck.
ELLIOT: I can show you how
I've put it together,
which is, um, mainly using a process
called photogrammetry,
so we've basically reconstructed the path
of the submarine.
PARKS: So, this is what
Victor was looking at on his first dive.
The bow going down the starboard side.
Ah, that's amazing.
NARRATOR: Creating this
scientifically accurate model
is one of the team's core objectives.
It's allowing Parks
to view Titanic from all angles,
to see things in far greater detail
than what is possible
from diving or studyingvideo footage.
PARKS: Oh, okay, rotate back around,
okay, and then bring it up.
Okay, that's good, I mean,
oh, that is something else. (CHUCKLES)
NARRATOR: Even this early in the process,
the model is allowing Parks to investigate
stories from Titanic
in unprecedented detail.
PARKS: The way the 3D has rendered here
and has that corner...
-ELLIOT: Yeah.
-...you really...
I mean, it really feels
like the ship here.
(CHUCKLES SOFTLY)
NARRATOR: On the night Titanic sank,
more than 2,000 passengers were onboard.
The crew rushed towards the lifeboats,
to be lowered into the water
using a small crane called the davit.
On the model, Parks is intrigued
by one davit in particular.
Right in this very area,
uh, First Officer Murdoch
was desperately trying to load
the last lifeboat into the davit,
so that it could be launched properly.
You can see that this davit is cranked in.
It's the only one on the wreck
that's like that.
ELLIOT: Right.
PARKS: Um,
that really supports the account
that Murdoch was trying
to launch the last lifeboat
when he and his crew
were swept away by the water.
NARRATOR: The photogrammetry has provided
vital evidence of the davit's position,
proving that this lifeboat
was never launched.
This really...
I mean, I can almost visualize the scene,
seeing it in this lighting
and at this angle. So...
That's just... That's, um...
That's pretty, uh, touching.
NARRATOR: There were
just 20 lifeboats in total,
only enough
for around half the passengers.
There's another personal
story related to Titanic
that has fascinated Parks for years.
It's connected to one
of the ship's mostfamous passengers,
Benjamin Guggenheim.
He was one of America's wealthiest
and most prominent businessmen,
who was said
to have dressed up in his best
and prepared to go down like a gentleman.
This is what Guggenheim's state rooms
would have looked like,
Titanic's most opulent living quarters.
Located on the port side
at the point of destruction
where the ship split in two,
the state rooms were torn off
and fell to the sea floor,
where they remain
to this day, undiscovered.
Now, using the sub,
Parks is determined to find them.
ROB: The free boat is engaged,
would you like me to engage surfacing?
NARRATOR: The team is preparing the sub
for the next dive
to locate the remains
of Titanic's most opulent cabin,
where one of the ship's
most famous passengers,
Benjamin Guggenheim, spent his final days.
I'm the only member of my family,
going back to where
my great great grandfather last stood.
So, there is something quite powerful
about that, I guess,
and kind of getting closer
to the rest of the family
and maybe paying one last homage.
NARRATOR: Sindbad is Benjamin Guggenheim's
great great grandson.
He's joined the expedition
to discover more
about the final hours
of his ill-fated relative.
-Now, these are the decks...
-Oh, I see.
...they're laying on top of each other,
what you're seeing are the ribs
that support the underside of the decks...
-Right.
-...and then it appears to be
shell plating underneath.
NARRATOR: Previous expeditions
revealed an image that Parks thinks
could be Guggenheim's missing state rooms.
He wants to dive down
on the wreck to investigate further.
Well, Parks is one of the world's
leading historians on the Titanic,
and he's the kind of individual
that can look at a piece of wreckage
and identify where it was on the ship
and why it's interesting.
Each piece, its position,
its condition, tells a story.
NARRATOR: Parks also wants to record
high-resolution footage
of some specific features on the bow
to add to the photogrammetry model.
Once again, Victor will pilot the sub.
Parks will join him to observe.
I feel the need to go down there myself,
owe it to those
who perished in the disaster,
to maybe step out of the comfort zone
a little bit,
take an acceptable amount of risk
and, um, experience it for myself.
NARRATOR: The sub will dive
to the wreck site, travel over the bow,
then out across the debris field,
searching for the mysterious piece
of metal.
PATRICK: Here comes the water,
cap's on, are you ready?
TOM: Yeah, Roger that,my hatch is secure.
Roger that, hatch secure. Here we go.
Roger that. I'm just gonna
put a little bit more on here.
NARRATOR: If Parks' theory is correct,
it'll be an incredible discovery,
connecting a family across generations.
PATRICK: Clear to go ahead
and start pumping.
There goes the swimmer.
KELVIN: LF. LF.
This is the LF, go ahead.
You're clear to, uh, start pumping.
Roger that, the swimmer is clear,
I have armed thrusters.
We're beginning to pump in now.
NARRATOR: The sub begins its long descent.
Benjamin Guggenheim was born
into a wealthy mining family
in Philadelphia in 1865.
He was 47 years old when Titanic sank,
leaving behind a wife
and three young daughters.
Surface, LF, depth three eight zero five,
heading three one zero,
life support good, wreck on sonar.
Roger that, LF, understand, uh,
three eight zero five meters,
heading three one zero degrees
with life support good
and wreck on sonar. Congratulations.
NARRATOR: The sub has reached
the wreck site.
VICTOR: Ha, it's murky. You can look
down there and see pretty well.
PARKS: I can see it, yeah.
VICTOR: The visibility
is better looking down.
-It is. (LAUGHS)
-There's the Marconi room,
-one of the windows, one of the skylights.
-Let's see here.
NARRATOR: Before searching for the remains
of the Guggenheim state rooms,
the team films additional footage
of other important features
for later analysis,
including the area
around the captain's quarters.
PARKS: Okay, I can barely see it.
I can barely see it,
yeah, it's devastated.
I see a glimpse of the tub.
NARRATOR: Next, the team
turns their attention
to the search
for Guggenheim's state rooms.
The debris field
is 15 square miles in size.
Finding a single piece of metal is like
trying to find a needle in a haystack.
VICTOR: Is this the bigger piece?
-PARKS: No, it's not the bigger piece.
-What is this?
PARKS: I don't think
it's Guggenheim either.
NARRATOR: Parks is searching
for specific structural features
that coincide with
the state room's location aboard the ship.
This is key to confirming the identify
of the mystery object in the image.
We're getting close to something
up there on the left.
-PARKS: Yep.
-40 meters.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa,
eyes out, eyes out, eyes out.
PARKS: Okay.
This might be the Guggenheim piece.
-You see all that ribbing?
-Yeah.
This might be the Guggenheim piece.
-VICTOR: I'm gonna translate left.
-Please, translate left, yes, please.
Yeah, here we go, this is it.
This is it, this is Guggenheim's
state room, right here.
-Right along here.
-Found it.
PARKS: That's the state room right there.
That's Guggenheim.
Good job. Teamwork.
(LAUGHS)
Surface to LF, present depth
three eight zero two,
life support good, at Guggenheim.
ROB: Roger, LF, at Guggenheim.
Congratulations.
ROB: Turn off the flow.
KELVIN: Roger that.
NARRATOR: The search is over
for the remains
of Benjamin Guggenheim's state rooms.
I can't believe you found it.
The odds of this were astronomical,
but, um, it just so happened in this case,
your great great grandfather's state room
was situated in an area
that had identifiable features, um...
(CHUCKLES) Yes,
the odds were astronomical.
That... That chaos is really
what's, uh, for me,
uh, really, the most traumatizing,
I think, you know,
when you're there, when you see this
and everything, it's just...
It's just very powerful.
One thing it does show, that at the end,
it did not matter what class
you were from, they all died equally.
Exactly, yeah. Absolutely.
PARKS: In those rare instances
where we can provide identification
of a piece to a descendant
of someone who perished,
I think it's very much appreciated.
We all like to remember those,
like, fairy tales of him,
uh, dressed in his best, as he said,
sipping brandy
and just going down heroically,
I guess, but, yeah, what I'm seeing here,
like the crushed metal and everything,
is just showing me
a very different reality.
NARRATOR: Finding Guggenheim's
state rooms allows the team
to add another crucial part
to their photogrammetry model.
And then we're coming up now to the top.
Okay, there's the overhang from A deck.
NARRATOR: Additional data
from the most recent dive
has now been added to the model.
It's allowing Parks to understand
other areas of Titanic
in far more detail...
It took us a while to recognize this.
...including the cabin
of Captain Edward John Smith,
who famously went down with his ship.
When Titanic was rediscovered in 1985,
the contents of Captain Smith's bathroom
were revealed to be largely intact,
including his private bathtub.
It's a tiny, but very tangible,
detail of the lives of individuals
who lived and worked aboard the ship.
So Parks wants to see how it's faring.
This entire overhead has now collapsed
since we last saw it.
Only a small sliver
of the captain's bath tub remains.
This collapse was exactly the kind of, uh,
failure that we were expecting to find,
and I expect this kind of collapse
is gonna continue in various areas
around the wreck in the years to come.
NARRATOR: The captain's quarters
have lost their battle with decay.
PARKS: You can see...
NARRATOR: Next, Parks turns his attention
to another area of the ship
that's of great interest,
the Marconi room.
As the biggest and best ship of her day,
Titanic contained
state-of-the-art technology,
including the famous
Marconi radio transmitter.
The set aboard Titanic was among
the first of its kind ever built.
It was housed in the Marconi room,
located on the boat deck
between the first and second funnels.
The transmitter was used
to receive warnings of icebergs
and send distress messages,
something ships hadn't been able to do
until the end of the 19th century.
My biggest fear
is my favorite part of the wreck,
the Marconi wireless telegraph room,
is gone and any hope of recovering that
transmitting apparatus and restoring it
is no longer...
Is no longer a possibility.
NARRATOR: On a previous expedition,
Parks saw the Marconi room
and its contents were in good condition.
Now, he wants to view
its current state in detail,
as he couldn't see it clearly
during his dive with Victor.
PARKS: I wanna go in here. I wanna see
what that is, I wanna get in here.
I can actually see rusticles
hanging down inside,
so that indicates
there's a whole space in here.
NARRATOR: Parks is hoping
the photogrammetry will allow him
to see the Marconi room
in far greater detail.
The area that I'm interested in
is right in this area right here.
-Now, your data set falls off here...
-ELLIOT: Yeah.
...but, um, these holes right here
are of special concern to me
because this looks like
the beginning of...
-Now, now, pull out a little bit.
-ELLIOT: Sure.
NARRATOR: The three-dimensional
photogrammetry is revealing
a new depression
in the roof of the Marconi room.
PARKS: It's gonna continue to fall,
and there's gonna be...
And next time we come out here,
there's gonna be a new
hole next to that one.
(SIGHS) We are definitely
in a race against time here.
NARRATOR: An investigation
into the condition of Titanic
is revealing a mixed picture.
Some of the wreck's
features have deteriorated...
-VICTOR: I see a glimpse of the tub.
-PARKS: Yeah.
VICTOR: I can barely see it,
and, yeah, it's devastated.
...whilst others have barely changed.
Overall, the wreck seems to be
holding up surprisingly well.
There are some areas of concern,
advanced deterioration,
and, uh, we're going to be
assessing those going forward,
uh, to try and get better
predictions on how much longer
the wreck will be with us.
ROB: We wanted to take this moment
to remember those
that have, uh, perished
the night that Titanic sank.
NARRATOR: As the expedition
enters its final stages,
the team is honoring Titanic's victims.
And, um, we'll take a moment's silence.
NARRATOR: With the ceremony complete,
the team preparesfor their next dive.
ROB: It's a good opportunity to think
about the site itself
and to start planning the dive.
I wanted to go beyond the dive,
uh, to talk about a science program
about the permanent conditions.
NARRATOR: The dive will help the team
understand andpredict Titanic's future.
ROB: They've taken a number
of different types of metal,
and then they've subjected
them to different kinds of, uh, activity.
Some of them have been subject to torsion,
uh, some of them have been
heat-treated with a welder,
some have been riveted.
Some... So, they're trying to replicate
all the different kinds of metal
that you might find on a ship
and then subjecting it
to the sort of forces
that a ship in distress might suffer.
NARRATOR: The team wants to place
the data platformnext to the wreck.
It's a non-invasive
but scientific way to record decline.
The platform is made of steel,
just like Titanic.
The bacteria will start populating
that steel source,
so then we can bring that up
after X number of years,
it's considered a long-term experiment,
and analyze it to, again, correlate that
back to the deterioration rate
of the wreck.
You can see the very obvious
manipulator arm, that's very powerful,
but it can function all the way down
to full ocean depth.
NARRATOR: The sub's
manipulator arm will be used
to place the steel platform
on the sea floor,
but doing this, 3 miles down, in the dark
and with strong currents,won't be easy.
It'll be a challenge,
there's no doubt about it,
but, um, I'm up for the challenge.
-VICTOR: Good luck, guys.
-KELVIN: Thanks, Victor.
NARRATOR: Kelvin is going
to be operating the manipulator arm.
And for this dive,
Patrickis piloting the sub.
-You got her?
-KELVIN: Yep. Bring this bad boy down.
NARRATOR: The sub will be supported
by a remotely controlled lander
that will safely transport
the data platform to thesea floor.
MAN: (OVER RADIO)
You've got three swimmers below,
you can start to pump and dive.
Roger that. Turning pumps on now. Okay?
-KELVIN: Yep.
-PATRICK: Okay.
(PUMP WHIRRING)
NARRATOR: Having arrived at the wreck,
the team preparesto release the platform.
But, at this depth, just the simplest
of actions isfraught with difficulty.
PATRICK: Looking good.
NARRATOR: The next task
is to drop the platformin a safe place,
as close to the wreck as possible
sorusticles can latch on.
KELVIN: Yeah, so bring it
down to the ground here.
Is that close enough?
Looks pretty close.
KELVIN: Here, let me
get the arm going again.
Yeah, yeah. Yep.
-(LAUGHS)
-How about that?
NARRATOR: When the platform
is retrievedin years to come,
on a new expedition,
the rusticles captured
will be vital in predicting
Titanic's future.
(KELVIN LAUGHS)
NARRATOR: The team's mission is complete,
and the first manned dives to Titanic
in nearly 15 years have come to an end.
(LAUGHS)
Thanks very much, Frank,
for getting us back.
NARRATOR: The expedition has led
to the creation of the most accurate
photogrammetry model
of the wreck ever built.
Titanic as no one has seen her before.
And now she's beginning
a new life as anartificial reef.
Home to an abundant
and diverse array ofmarine creatures.
Honestly, there's more life on Titanic now
than there was
when she was floating on the surface.
NARRATOR: But, in time,
as Titanic's decline continues,
she will becomeunrecognizable.
There's lots of
varying opinions on Titanic.
Is there any way thatwe can preserve it?
But, I sometimes feel that people
miss the point of the recycling aspect.
This is a natural process.
It was built through iron ore,
uh, and the earth is reclaiming
that iron ore from Titanic.
PARKS: It's a shipwreck
that's returning to nature,
but that doesn't mean
that we're done exploring Titanic yet.
This deterioration has now
opened up new possibilities
to learn more about the wreck.
We went down there to look,
to document, and to assess.
The results of this expedition
wildly exceeded our expectations.
the world's most famous ship.
Sunk over 100 years ago
and rediscovered in 1985.
She fascinates like no other wreck
and still has secrets to reveal.
There's sometimes about this story
that grips people.
Everybody finds something
in this disaster,
it's so varied and so all-encompassing.
NARRATOR: It's nearly 15 years
since anyone dived down to see Titanic.
The world is anxious
to know what'shappened to her.
There could be
a couple of major portions of the Titanic
that might have collapsed.
(INDISTINCT RADIO CHATTER)
NARRATOR: Now, a new expedition
is heading for the wreck site.
Okay, good to go.
MAN: (ON RADIO) Good to go.
NARRATOR: World-leading experts
armed with state-of-the-art technology.
Let's send this bad boy to the bottom.
NARRATOR: It's a race against time
to answer questions...
Okay, Tom, last check.
TOM: (ON RADIO) Roger that.
NARRATOR: ...and preserve Titanic
for future generations...
-STUART: Two minutes.
-MAN: Two minutes.
NARRATOR: ...before it's too late.
Let's go back to Titanic.
MAN: Prepare to dive. Prepare to dive.
MAN: Pressure Drop, all stations bridge.
ETA over the wreck
is approximately 10 minutes from now.
NARRATOR: The team is arriving
at the Titanic wreck site.
The ship lies three miles down in the icy
depths of the north Atlantic ocean.
Okay, so, welcome, everyone.
We wanted to meet this afternoon
to go over the dive plans
for the next two days, uh,
so you have two pieces of paper.
NARRATOR: The team gathers
to go over their mission.
A plan to carry out a series of dives
to Titanic over the coming week.
The first thing I'm gonna do
when I get down to the bottom is,
as I mentioned, I'm gonna
just go thrusters off
and I'm gonna see what the drift is.
NARRATOR: Victor Vescovo
has put this expedition together.
VICTOR: There could be
a couple of major portions of Titanic
that might have collapsed.
Most people are very interested
in the bow,
because the bow is still quite discernible
as the bow of the Titanic,
and I am hopeful
that it hasn't significantly collapsed,
which would be unfortunate.
NARRATOR: Nobody has dived down to Titanic
in nearly 15 years.
So, Victor's major concern is what may
have happened since she was last examined.
From the first time this wreck was seen
in 1985, with each expedition,
we've observed the condition of the wreck.
NARRATOR: Victor has gathered
world-leading experts
to ensure this mission is a success,
including Titanic specialist,
Parks Stephenson.
I've always seen the wreck as truly
the last surviving witness
to the disaster,
almost like a crime scene.
Well, that one will be fine.
I'm just gonna... I have to get dimensions
of the first platform that we have,
but I'm pretty sure
that it won't fit in there.
NARRATOR: Microbial ecologist
Lori Johnston
is another key member of the team.
She's responsible for collecting
important data on the wreck's condition.
From '98, I was able to dive
on Titanic, uh, six different times.
Uh, the last time
I personally saw it was 2005.
So it'll be very interesting
to see the amount of deterioration.
Okay, Roger that,
can you confirm the connectors?
(INAUDIBLE RADIO CHATTER)
MAN: Okay, roger that.
This is the deep submergence vehicle,
the Limiting Factor.
It's the deepest diving submersible
in the whole world,
and she is an absolute wonderful sub
and a beast.
She is so tough.
NARRATOR: The Limiting Factor
was specially designed by the team
for missions like this.
Okay, Tom, last check,
we're gonna just have Tim,
or maybe you can just
secure your own hatch.
TOM: Roger that. Securing hatch now.
NARRATOR: When Victor isn't piloting
the sub, Patrick Lahey will be.
Okay, Tim.
First thing is the pressure hull,
which is made of titanium.
Hull's about 90 mm thick, which is
three and a half inches in thickness,
and it has three view ports.
Two that are on the top
looking out through the port
and starboard sides
and then one lower view port
that gives you a great view
of the areas on the sea floor.
-Good.
-MAN: Turning starboard.
KELVIN: I mean, everything is so tight,
you know, everything is in tight corners.
NARRATOR: The team's fitting the sub
with a super-high-resolution 4K camera.
It's been specially commissioned
for this mission to film the wreck
in the best definition possible.
It's big, but delicate.
Having this camera here means that
we're gonna have to be very, very careful.
It's gonna make it a lot more difficult
for the launch and recovery,
and we're gonna have to be
really, really careful. Really careful.
So the hazards are, you know,
we are going deep,
and the fact that we're diving
around a human-made object,
we're around a wreck structure
with potentially strong current.
This wreck has been down there
for 107 years,
so, uh, it's inherently unstable,
and she lies across the current,
uh, which is running
up to two knots at a time.
Diving around a wreck presents
a unique set of risks and concerns.
The primary one being entanglement,
you know,
a wreck can have
things like ropes and obstructions
and things of that nature
that present a hazard to the craft.
The idea is to go here, and then we'll
come up here and pretty much, I mean,
everyone has told me not to get too close
and to be extremely careful,
because there are still wires.
NARRATOR: The success
of the first dive is vital.
It will allow the team
to plot additional dives.
Failure, and the expedition
could end abruptly.
ROB: Cool. If no one's got any questions,
then our next gig is 6:45
up on the foredeck, uh, tomorrow morning.
NARRATOR: Preparation is over.
Tomorrow, the team will attempt
to dive to the most
famous ship in history.
Weather conditions now are worse
than they were on the forecast yesterday.
NARRATOR: The first dive is due
to be launching in less than an hour.
(MEN TALKING INDISTINCTLY)
NARRATOR: But conditions
aren't looking good.
The crew's having to secure equipment.
STUART: So, the biggest waves you can see
coming through now are probably four,
four and a half meters,
which is pretty much double
the maximum limit for the...
To operate the sub.
(DRAMATIC MUSIC)
VICTOR: So, you called it.
STUART: It's not a nice decision to make,
and no one wants to make it,
-but it's the one that needs to be made.
-VICTOR: Yeah, I agree.
And the people downstairs know?
NARRATOR: The first launch is aborted.
If the bad weather doesn't pass soon,
the entire mission will be in jeopardy.
VICTOR: Let's go down
and announce it to everybody.
-Okay, good to go.
-MAN 1: Good to go.
NARRATOR: Next morning,
there's a break in the weather.
MAN 2: Setting five minutes.
Five minutes, okey-doke.
(RADIO CHATTER)
NARRATOR: The dive is on.
(CHUCKLES) We're going to the Titanic.
Weather's not bad.
It was rougher last night, I thought it
was gonna be rough this morning,
but it's laid down a bit,
so I'm comfortable with this,
we can launch in this.
Let's send this bad boy to the bottom.
NARRATOR: This will be
the first ever solo dive to Titanic.
-STUART: Two minutes.
-MAN: Two minutes.
(DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING)
MAN: Good luck, Victor.
Say hello to the old girl.
I will. Let's go back to Titanic.
MAN: (ON RADIO)
You're clear to dive, clear to dive.
VICTOR: Roger that, LF is clear to dive,
I've got a green board, pumps are now in.
NARRATOR: It will take Victor
one and a half hours
to reach Titanic's depth.
As you drop, light starts to fade,
hazy greenish at first,
and then gives way to black,
black, black, until it's pure black.
There's nothing really much to see.
So you descend into blackness.
NARRATOR: The wreck is nearly three miles
down where extreme water pressure
will push the sub and camera technology
to the very limit.
Surface, LF,
present depth one one two zero,
heading zero three seven,
life support good.
Roger, LF, understand your depth
is one one two.
NARRATOR: 4k cameras
have seldom filmed so deep before,
and even if this one survives the journey,
what will be left to film?
Surface, LF, present depth
three eight zero eight at bottom,
heading one eight zero.
NARRATOR: The first manned dive
in nearly 15 years is underway
to the world's most famous ship, Titanic.
PARKS: If we arrive on site and the light
starts to reveal massive collapse,
either like I'm predicting, or even worse,
I'm sure there's gonna be
an instance of regret.
NARRATOR: Titanic was the most
luxurious liner in the world.
When she set sail in April, 1912,
heading for New York,
over 2,000 passengers and crew
were on board.
Four days into her maiden voyage,
she it an iceberg and sank.
Around 1,500 people lost their lives.
There's something about this story
that grips people.
The way the disaster played out,
the length of time that it played out,
allowing all these different human dramas
and different classes of people,
everybody finds something
in this disaster.
It's so varied and so all-encompassing.
VICTOR: It looks like the edge
of something.
This current keeps pushing me.
NARRATOR: Where Titanic rests
is incredibly dangerous.
Strong currents swirl around the wreck,
making it extremely difficult
for Victor to reach and film his target.
VICTOR: I'm heading one eight zero.
I'm being very careful,
I don't wanna run into anything.
Where is it? I can't see it.
(SIGHS) There doesn't appear
to be anything here.
I have a bad feeling about this.
There we go.
There she is.
Oh, my gosh, I'm at the bow.
I'm at the bow of the Titanic.
(DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING)
Surface, LF has gone to bow of Titanic.
Bow of Titanic.
Yeah.
VICTOR: Just seeing the wreck
outside the view port, wow, amazing.
NARRATOR: Victor can now begin
the team's next objective,
to film the wreck and collect data
to assess its condition.
VICTOR: Coming up along the side here,
I can see rust formations hanging
from the famous handrails,
and there you can see
some of the A deck square windows.
NARRATOR: Victor pilots the sub
along the ship's exterior.
Curtains of corrosion
can be seen envelopingport holes.
When Titanic was first discovered in 1985,
she was in remarkable condition,
but her stern and bow
were located 600 meters apart,
having broken up on their descent.
As Victor heads past the bow,
towards the stern,
there's evidence
of human tragedy all around.
VICTOR: Wow, the sea floor is just...
It's littered with debris
from the ship breaking up
as it descended through the water column.
I can see tiles, some even intact bottles,
what looks to be crockery.
There also seems to even be
a perfectly preserved pair of trousers.
I think I'm approaching the stern,
I've got a big old sonar return.
I see you on the sonar, girl.
Can you see this? That's the stern.
Wow, just savaged.
Yeah, this is concerning,
there's jagged metal protruding
almost from all directions,
and I can feel a strong current
pushing me towards the wreckage sometimes.
NARRATOR: The dive has just become
much more dangerous.
(DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING)
A deep-sea sub
is investigating the wreck of Titanic.
VICTOR: Wow, just savaged.
NARRATOR: At the stern,
a powerful channel of fast-flowing water
now jeopardizes the safety of the dive.
VICTOR: I can feel a strong current
pushing me towards the wreckage sometimes.
NARRATOR: After several hours
fighting dangerous conditions,
Victor decides
it's time to return to the surface...
Surface, this is LF ascending.
...for the safety of the mission.
VICTOR: I am exhausted.
-(KELVIN CHUCKLES)
-VICTOR: Hi.
(LAUGHS)
-KELVIN: Oh, finally, eh?
-VICTOR: Titanic, done.
-Bow and stern.
-KELVIN: Good one. Good one.
PARKS: The dive is completed,
the sub's pulled in,
but really my work starts now.
Uh, all of the analysis work
that goes into the footage,
I've got to try and get that done
and get things identified,
so, um, it's gonna be
two busy days for me.
In a way, it was the most difficult dive
I've ever done,
simply because of the scale and the very
strong currents and visibility.
So, it was very much
diving into the unknown
and, uh, coming back with new information.
The condition of the wreck
and, uh, you know,
what had happened in the last 10 years.
NARRATOR: The first dive
has been a great success,
it's revealed
Titanic is continuing to decay,
but she's still intact.
This new information is allowing the team
to begin the next phase of their mission,
a more detailed forensic investigation.
Yeah, that's A deck promenade,
and this is the B deck here,
C deck port holes here.
This is starboard side.
Oh, this is badly corroded up here,
look at that, oh, it's gone.
-VICTOR: What's gone?
-Right, look at A deck, right after...
NARRATOR: Titanic specialist Parks
is studying the footage
to assess the state of the ship.
-What collapsed? It's part of the...
-It's the A deck.
NARRATOR: By comparing the footage
with images recorded
after Titanic was first found,
he can see the bow is still recognizable,
but the stern is showing greater break up.
The stern was absolutely shattered
on impact,
and so it is a mass of steel
and cables and fragments,
and I don't think it's been properly
conveyed just how dangerous
that area is and, frankly,
how unrecognizable.
NARRATOR: Strong currents
swirling around and eroding metal
are partially responsible
for Titanic's deterioration,
but experts think there is another reason
for the ship's uneven rate of decline.
LORI: Titanic is unique
in the fact
that it is dominated by bacteria.
NARRATOR: Microbial ecologist
Lori Johnston is one of the only people
in the world who can fully understand
what is happening.
On previous expeditions,
Lori investigated a phenomenon
only seen on some of the deepest wrecks
in the world.
Titanic is teeming with microscopic life.
Titanic, obviously,
had bacteria when it went down,
and they basically have become
the dominant organism.
NARRATOR: The bacteria thrive in areas
where metal is damaged
like buckles or fractures.
It is here that rusticles first form.
The term "rusticle" was sort of coined
when the Titanic was found,
and it looks like rust-colored icicle.
They're very sophisticated structures
because they're made up
of microscopic organisms.
So, when you put a rusticle
under the microscope,
the features in them
are extremely detailed.
NARRATOR: These organisms have adapted
to eat metal and their feed rate
looks set to intensify,
increasing the rate of decay.
LORI: The bacteria themselves
seem to be increasing
simply because there's nothing there
that can out-compete them
and because there's so much steel there,
and they're just in their glory,
taking out all of the elements
under the sea.
NARRATOR: This is a worrying discovery,
but there is one advantage,
the breakup allows the team
to see inside new areas of the wreck.
ELLIOT: I can show you how
I've put it together,
which is, um, mainly using a process
called photogrammetry,
so we've basically reconstructed the path
of the submarine.
PARKS: So, this is what
Victor was looking at on his first dive.
The bow going down the starboard side.
Ah, that's amazing.
NARRATOR: Creating this
scientifically accurate model
is one of the team's core objectives.
It's allowing Parks
to view Titanic from all angles,
to see things in far greater detail
than what is possible
from diving or studyingvideo footage.
PARKS: Oh, okay, rotate back around,
okay, and then bring it up.
Okay, that's good, I mean,
oh, that is something else. (CHUCKLES)
NARRATOR: Even this early in the process,
the model is allowing Parks to investigate
stories from Titanic
in unprecedented detail.
PARKS: The way the 3D has rendered here
and has that corner...
-ELLIOT: Yeah.
-...you really...
I mean, it really feels
like the ship here.
(CHUCKLES SOFTLY)
NARRATOR: On the night Titanic sank,
more than 2,000 passengers were onboard.
The crew rushed towards the lifeboats,
to be lowered into the water
using a small crane called the davit.
On the model, Parks is intrigued
by one davit in particular.
Right in this very area,
uh, First Officer Murdoch
was desperately trying to load
the last lifeboat into the davit,
so that it could be launched properly.
You can see that this davit is cranked in.
It's the only one on the wreck
that's like that.
ELLIOT: Right.
PARKS: Um,
that really supports the account
that Murdoch was trying
to launch the last lifeboat
when he and his crew
were swept away by the water.
NARRATOR: The photogrammetry has provided
vital evidence of the davit's position,
proving that this lifeboat
was never launched.
This really...
I mean, I can almost visualize the scene,
seeing it in this lighting
and at this angle. So...
That's just... That's, um...
That's pretty, uh, touching.
NARRATOR: There were
just 20 lifeboats in total,
only enough
for around half the passengers.
There's another personal
story related to Titanic
that has fascinated Parks for years.
It's connected to one
of the ship's mostfamous passengers,
Benjamin Guggenheim.
He was one of America's wealthiest
and most prominent businessmen,
who was said
to have dressed up in his best
and prepared to go down like a gentleman.
This is what Guggenheim's state rooms
would have looked like,
Titanic's most opulent living quarters.
Located on the port side
at the point of destruction
where the ship split in two,
the state rooms were torn off
and fell to the sea floor,
where they remain
to this day, undiscovered.
Now, using the sub,
Parks is determined to find them.
ROB: The free boat is engaged,
would you like me to engage surfacing?
NARRATOR: The team is preparing the sub
for the next dive
to locate the remains
of Titanic's most opulent cabin,
where one of the ship's
most famous passengers,
Benjamin Guggenheim, spent his final days.
I'm the only member of my family,
going back to where
my great great grandfather last stood.
So, there is something quite powerful
about that, I guess,
and kind of getting closer
to the rest of the family
and maybe paying one last homage.
NARRATOR: Sindbad is Benjamin Guggenheim's
great great grandson.
He's joined the expedition
to discover more
about the final hours
of his ill-fated relative.
-Now, these are the decks...
-Oh, I see.
...they're laying on top of each other,
what you're seeing are the ribs
that support the underside of the decks...
-Right.
-...and then it appears to be
shell plating underneath.
NARRATOR: Previous expeditions
revealed an image that Parks thinks
could be Guggenheim's missing state rooms.
He wants to dive down
on the wreck to investigate further.
Well, Parks is one of the world's
leading historians on the Titanic,
and he's the kind of individual
that can look at a piece of wreckage
and identify where it was on the ship
and why it's interesting.
Each piece, its position,
its condition, tells a story.
NARRATOR: Parks also wants to record
high-resolution footage
of some specific features on the bow
to add to the photogrammetry model.
Once again, Victor will pilot the sub.
Parks will join him to observe.
I feel the need to go down there myself,
owe it to those
who perished in the disaster,
to maybe step out of the comfort zone
a little bit,
take an acceptable amount of risk
and, um, experience it for myself.
NARRATOR: The sub will dive
to the wreck site, travel over the bow,
then out across the debris field,
searching for the mysterious piece
of metal.
PATRICK: Here comes the water,
cap's on, are you ready?
TOM: Yeah, Roger that,my hatch is secure.
Roger that, hatch secure. Here we go.
Roger that. I'm just gonna
put a little bit more on here.
NARRATOR: If Parks' theory is correct,
it'll be an incredible discovery,
connecting a family across generations.
PATRICK: Clear to go ahead
and start pumping.
There goes the swimmer.
KELVIN: LF. LF.
This is the LF, go ahead.
You're clear to, uh, start pumping.
Roger that, the swimmer is clear,
I have armed thrusters.
We're beginning to pump in now.
NARRATOR: The sub begins its long descent.
Benjamin Guggenheim was born
into a wealthy mining family
in Philadelphia in 1865.
He was 47 years old when Titanic sank,
leaving behind a wife
and three young daughters.
Surface, LF, depth three eight zero five,
heading three one zero,
life support good, wreck on sonar.
Roger that, LF, understand, uh,
three eight zero five meters,
heading three one zero degrees
with life support good
and wreck on sonar. Congratulations.
NARRATOR: The sub has reached
the wreck site.
VICTOR: Ha, it's murky. You can look
down there and see pretty well.
PARKS: I can see it, yeah.
VICTOR: The visibility
is better looking down.
-It is. (LAUGHS)
-There's the Marconi room,
-one of the windows, one of the skylights.
-Let's see here.
NARRATOR: Before searching for the remains
of the Guggenheim state rooms,
the team films additional footage
of other important features
for later analysis,
including the area
around the captain's quarters.
PARKS: Okay, I can barely see it.
I can barely see it,
yeah, it's devastated.
I see a glimpse of the tub.
NARRATOR: Next, the team
turns their attention
to the search
for Guggenheim's state rooms.
The debris field
is 15 square miles in size.
Finding a single piece of metal is like
trying to find a needle in a haystack.
VICTOR: Is this the bigger piece?
-PARKS: No, it's not the bigger piece.
-What is this?
PARKS: I don't think
it's Guggenheim either.
NARRATOR: Parks is searching
for specific structural features
that coincide with
the state room's location aboard the ship.
This is key to confirming the identify
of the mystery object in the image.
We're getting close to something
up there on the left.
-PARKS: Yep.
-40 meters.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa,
eyes out, eyes out, eyes out.
PARKS: Okay.
This might be the Guggenheim piece.
-You see all that ribbing?
-Yeah.
This might be the Guggenheim piece.
-VICTOR: I'm gonna translate left.
-Please, translate left, yes, please.
Yeah, here we go, this is it.
This is it, this is Guggenheim's
state room, right here.
-Right along here.
-Found it.
PARKS: That's the state room right there.
That's Guggenheim.
Good job. Teamwork.
(LAUGHS)
Surface to LF, present depth
three eight zero two,
life support good, at Guggenheim.
ROB: Roger, LF, at Guggenheim.
Congratulations.
ROB: Turn off the flow.
KELVIN: Roger that.
NARRATOR: The search is over
for the remains
of Benjamin Guggenheim's state rooms.
I can't believe you found it.
The odds of this were astronomical,
but, um, it just so happened in this case,
your great great grandfather's state room
was situated in an area
that had identifiable features, um...
(CHUCKLES) Yes,
the odds were astronomical.
That... That chaos is really
what's, uh, for me,
uh, really, the most traumatizing,
I think, you know,
when you're there, when you see this
and everything, it's just...
It's just very powerful.
One thing it does show, that at the end,
it did not matter what class
you were from, they all died equally.
Exactly, yeah. Absolutely.
PARKS: In those rare instances
where we can provide identification
of a piece to a descendant
of someone who perished,
I think it's very much appreciated.
We all like to remember those,
like, fairy tales of him,
uh, dressed in his best, as he said,
sipping brandy
and just going down heroically,
I guess, but, yeah, what I'm seeing here,
like the crushed metal and everything,
is just showing me
a very different reality.
NARRATOR: Finding Guggenheim's
state rooms allows the team
to add another crucial part
to their photogrammetry model.
And then we're coming up now to the top.
Okay, there's the overhang from A deck.
NARRATOR: Additional data
from the most recent dive
has now been added to the model.
It's allowing Parks to understand
other areas of Titanic
in far more detail...
It took us a while to recognize this.
...including the cabin
of Captain Edward John Smith,
who famously went down with his ship.
When Titanic was rediscovered in 1985,
the contents of Captain Smith's bathroom
were revealed to be largely intact,
including his private bathtub.
It's a tiny, but very tangible,
detail of the lives of individuals
who lived and worked aboard the ship.
So Parks wants to see how it's faring.
This entire overhead has now collapsed
since we last saw it.
Only a small sliver
of the captain's bath tub remains.
This collapse was exactly the kind of, uh,
failure that we were expecting to find,
and I expect this kind of collapse
is gonna continue in various areas
around the wreck in the years to come.
NARRATOR: The captain's quarters
have lost their battle with decay.
PARKS: You can see...
NARRATOR: Next, Parks turns his attention
to another area of the ship
that's of great interest,
the Marconi room.
As the biggest and best ship of her day,
Titanic contained
state-of-the-art technology,
including the famous
Marconi radio transmitter.
The set aboard Titanic was among
the first of its kind ever built.
It was housed in the Marconi room,
located on the boat deck
between the first and second funnels.
The transmitter was used
to receive warnings of icebergs
and send distress messages,
something ships hadn't been able to do
until the end of the 19th century.
My biggest fear
is my favorite part of the wreck,
the Marconi wireless telegraph room,
is gone and any hope of recovering that
transmitting apparatus and restoring it
is no longer...
Is no longer a possibility.
NARRATOR: On a previous expedition,
Parks saw the Marconi room
and its contents were in good condition.
Now, he wants to view
its current state in detail,
as he couldn't see it clearly
during his dive with Victor.
PARKS: I wanna go in here. I wanna see
what that is, I wanna get in here.
I can actually see rusticles
hanging down inside,
so that indicates
there's a whole space in here.
NARRATOR: Parks is hoping
the photogrammetry will allow him
to see the Marconi room
in far greater detail.
The area that I'm interested in
is right in this area right here.
-Now, your data set falls off here...
-ELLIOT: Yeah.
...but, um, these holes right here
are of special concern to me
because this looks like
the beginning of...
-Now, now, pull out a little bit.
-ELLIOT: Sure.
NARRATOR: The three-dimensional
photogrammetry is revealing
a new depression
in the roof of the Marconi room.
PARKS: It's gonna continue to fall,
and there's gonna be...
And next time we come out here,
there's gonna be a new
hole next to that one.
(SIGHS) We are definitely
in a race against time here.
NARRATOR: An investigation
into the condition of Titanic
is revealing a mixed picture.
Some of the wreck's
features have deteriorated...
-VICTOR: I see a glimpse of the tub.
-PARKS: Yeah.
VICTOR: I can barely see it,
and, yeah, it's devastated.
...whilst others have barely changed.
Overall, the wreck seems to be
holding up surprisingly well.
There are some areas of concern,
advanced deterioration,
and, uh, we're going to be
assessing those going forward,
uh, to try and get better
predictions on how much longer
the wreck will be with us.
ROB: We wanted to take this moment
to remember those
that have, uh, perished
the night that Titanic sank.
NARRATOR: As the expedition
enters its final stages,
the team is honoring Titanic's victims.
And, um, we'll take a moment's silence.
NARRATOR: With the ceremony complete,
the team preparesfor their next dive.
ROB: It's a good opportunity to think
about the site itself
and to start planning the dive.
I wanted to go beyond the dive,
uh, to talk about a science program
about the permanent conditions.
NARRATOR: The dive will help the team
understand andpredict Titanic's future.
ROB: They've taken a number
of different types of metal,
and then they've subjected
them to different kinds of, uh, activity.
Some of them have been subject to torsion,
uh, some of them have been
heat-treated with a welder,
some have been riveted.
Some... So, they're trying to replicate
all the different kinds of metal
that you might find on a ship
and then subjecting it
to the sort of forces
that a ship in distress might suffer.
NARRATOR: The team wants to place
the data platformnext to the wreck.
It's a non-invasive
but scientific way to record decline.
The platform is made of steel,
just like Titanic.
The bacteria will start populating
that steel source,
so then we can bring that up
after X number of years,
it's considered a long-term experiment,
and analyze it to, again, correlate that
back to the deterioration rate
of the wreck.
You can see the very obvious
manipulator arm, that's very powerful,
but it can function all the way down
to full ocean depth.
NARRATOR: The sub's
manipulator arm will be used
to place the steel platform
on the sea floor,
but doing this, 3 miles down, in the dark
and with strong currents,won't be easy.
It'll be a challenge,
there's no doubt about it,
but, um, I'm up for the challenge.
-VICTOR: Good luck, guys.
-KELVIN: Thanks, Victor.
NARRATOR: Kelvin is going
to be operating the manipulator arm.
And for this dive,
Patrickis piloting the sub.
-You got her?
-KELVIN: Yep. Bring this bad boy down.
NARRATOR: The sub will be supported
by a remotely controlled lander
that will safely transport
the data platform to thesea floor.
MAN: (OVER RADIO)
You've got three swimmers below,
you can start to pump and dive.
Roger that. Turning pumps on now. Okay?
-KELVIN: Yep.
-PATRICK: Okay.
(PUMP WHIRRING)
NARRATOR: Having arrived at the wreck,
the team preparesto release the platform.
But, at this depth, just the simplest
of actions isfraught with difficulty.
PATRICK: Looking good.
NARRATOR: The next task
is to drop the platformin a safe place,
as close to the wreck as possible
sorusticles can latch on.
KELVIN: Yeah, so bring it
down to the ground here.
Is that close enough?
Looks pretty close.
KELVIN: Here, let me
get the arm going again.
Yeah, yeah. Yep.
-(LAUGHS)
-How about that?
NARRATOR: When the platform
is retrievedin years to come,
on a new expedition,
the rusticles captured
will be vital in predicting
Titanic's future.
(KELVIN LAUGHS)
NARRATOR: The team's mission is complete,
and the first manned dives to Titanic
in nearly 15 years have come to an end.
(LAUGHS)
Thanks very much, Frank,
for getting us back.
NARRATOR: The expedition has led
to the creation of the most accurate
photogrammetry model
of the wreck ever built.
Titanic as no one has seen her before.
And now she's beginning
a new life as anartificial reef.
Home to an abundant
and diverse array ofmarine creatures.
Honestly, there's more life on Titanic now
than there was
when she was floating on the surface.
NARRATOR: But, in time,
as Titanic's decline continues,
she will becomeunrecognizable.
There's lots of
varying opinions on Titanic.
Is there any way thatwe can preserve it?
But, I sometimes feel that people
miss the point of the recycling aspect.
This is a natural process.
It was built through iron ore,
uh, and the earth is reclaiming
that iron ore from Titanic.
PARKS: It's a shipwreck
that's returning to nature,
but that doesn't mean
that we're done exploring Titanic yet.
This deterioration has now
opened up new possibilities
to learn more about the wreck.
We went down there to look,
to document, and to assess.
The results of this expedition
wildly exceeded our expectations.