The declassified secrets of the Vatican. Secret archives of the Vatican

And this fact is not surprising, because at the time of construction and commissioning, "" was one of the largest liners in the world. His first voyage, which is also the last, took place on April 14, 1912, because the ship, after a collision with an ice block, sank 2 hours and 40 minutes after the impact (at 02.20 on April 15). Such a large-scale catastrophe has become a legend, and in our time the causes and circumstances of its occurrence are being discussed, filmed art films, and researchers continue to study the remains of the liner at the bottom and compare them with photographs of the ship taken in 1912.

If we compare the model of the bow shown in the photo and the remains that now lie at the bottom, it is difficult to call them identical, because the front of the ship was heavily immersed in the silt during the fall. Such a spectacle greatly disappointed the first researchers, since the location of the wreckage did not allow to inspect the place where the ship hit the ice block without the use of special equipment. The ragged hole present in the case, clearly visible on the layout, is the result of hitting the bottom.

The remains of the Titanic are at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, they lie at a depth of about 4 km. The vessel cracked in the process of submerging under water and now its two parts lie on the bottom, at a distance of about 600 meters from one another. Within a radius of several hundred meters near them are multiple debris and objects, including a huge piece of the ship's hull.

Panorama of the bow of the Titanic, the researchers managed to make by processing several hundred images. If you look at it from right to left, you can see the winch from the spare anchor, which sticks out directly above the bow edge, then the mooring device is noticeable, and next to it is an open hatch leading to hold No. 1, breakwater lines go from it to the sides. The lying mast, under which there are two more hold hatches and winches for lifting cargo, is clearly visible on the superstructure deck. The captain's bridge used to be located on the front of the main superstructure, but now it can only be found at the bottom in parts.

On the other hand, the superstructure with the captain's and officer's cabins and the radio room is well preserved, although it is crossed by a crack that has formed in place of the expansion joint. The visible hole in the superstructure is the location of the chimney. Another hole behind the superstructure is the well, where the Titanic's front staircase is located. A large torn hole located to the left is the place of the second pipe.

Photo of the main anchor on the port side of the Titanic. It remains a mystery how he did not fall down in the process of hitting the bottom.

Behind the Titanic's spare anchor is a mooring device.

Even 10-20 years ago, on the mast of the Titanic, one could see the remains of the so-called "crow's nest", where the lookouts were located, but now they have fallen off. The only reminder of the "crow's nest" is the hole in the mast, through which the sailors-lookout could get to the spiral staircase. The tail behind the hole was once a bell mount.

Comparative photos of the deck of the Titanic, which housed the lifeboats. On the right, you can see that the superstructure on it is torn in places.

The Titanic staircase that adorned the ship in 1912:

Photo of the remains of the ship, taken from a similar angle. Comparing the two previous photos, it's hard to believe that this is the same part of the ship.

Behind the stairs were equipped with elevators for 1st class passengers. Only individual elements remind of them. The inscription, which can be seen in the photo on the right, was opposite the elevators and pointed to the deck. It is this inscription - a pointer directing to deck A (the letter A, made of bronze, has disappeared, but traces still remain).

Deck D, 1st class lounge. Although most of the wooden finish has been eaten away by microorganisms, and individual elements reminiscent of the front staircase have been preserved.

The 1st class lounge and the Titanic restaurant, located on deck D, had large stained glass windows that have survived to this day.

This is exactly what "" would look like along with the largest modern passenger liner, which is called "Allure of the Seas".

It was put into operation in 2010. A few comparative values:

• Allure of the Seas has 4 times the displacement this characteristic at the Titanic;
• a modern liner - the record holder has a length of 360 m, which exceeds "" by 100 m;
• maximum width of 60 m compared to 28 m of shipbuilding legend;
• the draft is almost the same (almost 10 m);
• the speed of these ships is 22-23 knots;
• the number of command staff of "Allure of the Seas" - more than 2 thousand people (attendants "" - 900 people, mostly they were stokers);
• the passenger capacity of the giant of our time is 6.4 thousand people (y - 2.5 thousand).

Catastrophes always excite the minds of people, even after a hundred years. Interest in any event can now be fueled by cinema, just one successful film and society will never forget about any problem or event. This is how the owners and crew of the Titanic went down in history, though not in best light. But before talking about the shipwreck, it would be useful to know where and where the Titanic was sailing from?

Travel between continents

Today, to overcome the distance between Europe and America, it is enough to buy a plane ticket. Already on the same day with this cherished ticket, you can be on the other side of the globe, spending 7-8 hours and not so a large amount. But jetliners in civil aviation appeared not so long ago, before that it was a little different. It’s quite sad, in the opinion of the modern layman, it was about the invention of aircraft:

• The only one possible variant travel by ship. The journey could take weeks.
• IN late XIX century, steamships were designed that made it possible to cross the ocean in 5 days.
• But even in this short period of time, anything could happen, shipwrecks are not uncommon today.
• But the main troubles that tormented the first pilgrims, in the form of scurvy and infectious diseases, faded into the background.

At the time of the commissioning of the Titanic, there were two main companies, one of them emphasized travel speed , another on comfort and luxury . Looking at the interior of the Titanic, you can immediately understand which of the two offices it belonged to.

Protecting the Unsinkable Titanic

Everyone heard something about the unsinkability of the Titanic and some unique system installed on the ship. She was all reduced to three points:

Theoretically, any minor accident should not have led to the rapid sinking of the ship. Although it is difficult to speak of insignificance when we are talking about hitting an iceberg. Coping with the consequences of such a contact turned out to be beyond even most modern system , which only existed at that time.

The route of the Titanic and its passengers

As already mentioned, the ship's route ran from Europe to America. But this is not the most accurate route:

• The liner departed from Southampton. If today this English town is not familiar to anyone, then a hundred years ago it was the largest port in all of Britain.
• The ship made its first stop in France, visiting the port of Cherbourg.
• After that, the Titanic entered the port of Queenstown, Ireland.
• This was the last stop of the ship, then it was supposed to follow to the final point, to the port of New York.

Such an unusual route within Europe made it possible to gather everyone. Both from the islands and from the mainland of the continent. Sending to Ireland helped to get to the right latitude and lay the best route.

At that time, the United States was a country of hope and new opportunities, but despite this, not only adventurers and lovers sailed to America. thrill. The aristocracy, businessmen and industrialists traveled first class. They all departed from different intentions:

• Someone was looking for new sensations and entertainment.
• Others sought to conclude the most profitable contracts in new markets.
• Someone mastered New World in search of profits and opportunities for growth.

But regardless of the initial motives and desires, the same inglorious outcome awaited them all.

Cause of the sinking and death of the passengers of the Titanic

So what was the problem of the most unsinkable ship? Yes, that the hole from the iceberg was in length over 90 m. It is easy to understand that more than one bulkhead, not two, or even three, was pierced. In an attempt to evade the Frost Giant, the ship attempted to veer sharply off course and pass by, but instead received a tangential blow. It was such a blow that tore the plating to shreds for 5 bulkheads. The engineering system was not designed for such a level of damage.

But why did almost 70% of the passengers and crew members die? And here the whole a series of errors and criminal negligence:

1. The ship was heading for at full speed despite warnings about the presence of icebergs in these waters.
2. It is the high speed of the vessel that explains such massive damage.
3. The capacity of the boats was designed for only a thousand people, despite the fact that the number of passengers exceeded two thousand.
4. The defense system played bad joke, keeping the ship afloat without visible changes at first. For a couple of hours, no one could even understand that the ship was sinking. In this regard, it was difficult to convince passengers to go from comfortable decks to boats.
5. Nearby ships were either too far away or did not come to the rescue.

The first and last flight of the liner

The Titanic made its only voyage along an uncomplicated route. It contained only 4 points:

1. Southampton.
2. Cherbourg.
3. Queenstown.
4. NY.

England. France. Ireland. USA. Exactly in that order. But the ship never made it to its final destination. As did most of the passengers and crew.

A project has already been launched to build a similar ship, which will pass along the same route from where and where the Titanic sailed. Historic voyage for lovers " tickle your nerves”, but it all sounds too tragic.

Video: where was the Titanic going?

Below documentary"Destination of the Titanic", in which historian Anton Makarov will talk about the departure point of the legendary ship and where it sailed. The moment of the sinking of the Titanic will also be shown:

1. 3 million rivets were used to build the Titanic, most of which were handmade.

2. It took 23 tons of fat, locomotive oil and liquid soap- to lubricate the guide rails.

3. The designers considered the liner unsinkable. The double bottom and 16 watertight bulkheads were know-how for that time. However, the designers did not know how penetrating an iceberg could be.

4. On the Titanic there was no such simple thing as binoculars. The captain fired his second mate, Blair, who, in retaliation, stole the keys to the safe, which contained binoculars for lookouts.

5. The shipwreck happened on April 14, 1912. Events are recreated to the smallest detail. From the very morning, ten times the crews of other liners transmitted reports that icebergs were already nearby, but the Titanic ignored these warnings. Latest summary entered the Titanic 40 minutes before the collision. But the radio operator of the Titanic did not even listen to the message and cut off the connection.

6. Many celebrities of that time were on the liner. Among them, for example, was the millionaire and feminist Margaret Brown. She was famous for knowing five languages ​​and swearing at them like a shoemaker. After the collision with the iceberg, Margaret helped to seat people on the boats, but she herself was in no hurry to leave the ship. Finally, someone pushed her into a boat by force and sent her out to sea. Having reached another ship, the Carpathia, Margaret immediately began looking for blankets and food for the victims, compiled lists of survivors, and collected money. By the time the Carpathia arrived at the port, she had raised $10,000 for the survivors.

7. Another famous Titanic passenger, businessman Benjamin Guggenheim, put his companion in a lifeboat. He assured her that they would see each other soon, although he knew that the situation was hopeless. Together with the valet, he returned to the cabin and changed into a tailcoat, and then sat down at a table in the central hall and began to drink whiskey. When someone suggested that they still try to escape, Guggenheim replied: "We are dressed in accordance with our position and are ready to die like gentlemen."

8. An outstanding ticket to the Titanic's launching ceremony went under the hammer at a London auction for $56,300. A menu from the ship with a list of 40 dishes was sold in New York for $31,300. Another similar menu in London sold for £76,000. The keys to the ship's quarters, which housed the lifeboat lanterns, also survived and were sold for £59,000.

9. The liner was sinking to the music. The orchestra to the last stood on the deck and played the church hymn "Nearer, Lord, to Thee."

10. Russian deep-sea submersibles "Mir" in 1991 and 1995 sank to the ship, which is now at a depth of 3.8 kilometers. Then the devices shot a video that was included in the notorious film by James Cameron. This year, in honor of the centenary of the sinking of the liner, our submariners again promised to dive to the Titanic.

11. UNESCO waited a hundred years to declare the wreckage of the Titanic an object. cultural heritage. They have a special convention for such cases. Now UNESCO will ensure that items from the Titanic do not go to uncultured divers.

12. Released in honor of the centenary, Titanic 3D has already grossed an impressive $17.4 million in the US. "Titanic" by James Cameron in 1997 was a phenomenal success and fees for those times are huge: $ 1.8 billion. It was only 12 years later that the movie "Avatar" managed to break this record.

13. The ill-fated black iceberg, or rather, his photograph, was found 90 years after the death of the Titanic. A few days after the tragedy, a certain Stefan Regorek from Bohemia on another liner sailed past the crash site and photographed the iceberg. After a thorough examination, it was proved that the vessel could well have made dents on the iceberg. So the ice block also suffered.

14. Jack Dawson, the hero of the very film that brought fame and fortune to Cameron - real character. True, Cameron later assured that he took the name from the ceiling and that this was a coincidence. However, the real Jack Dawson was a collier on the Titanic. True, he was in love not with the green-eyed Kate Winslet (she had not yet been born then), but with the sister of his friend, who persuaded him to become a sailor. In the end, of course, everyone died.

15. Legends still tell about the Titanic. For example, lovers of mysticism point out that in 1898 the writer Morgan Robertson wrote the novel "Vanity" - about a huge transatlantic liner and its complacent passengers. A lot of things coincide in the story: the name of the ship is "Titan" and even a collision with an iceberg on a cold April night.

16. Another legend says that once every six years, radio operators catch the ghost signal SOS from the Titanic on the air. This was first announced by the crew of the battleship Theodore Roosevelt in 1972. The radio operator dug through the archives and found notes from his colleagues that they also received strange radio messages allegedly from the Titanic: in 1924, 1930, 1936 and 1942. In April 1996, the Canadian ship Quebec received an SOS signal from the Titanic.

17. Although official version says that the Titanic sank an iceberg, not everyone believes it. For example, some have claimed that the Titanic was sunk by a German torpedo fired by employees of the company that built the liner to get insurance. However, this sounds unconvincing, given how many employees of the company died on April 14, 1912.

18. The Titanic was not the only major liner of the White Star Line. The ship "Olympic" began to be built simultaneously with the "Titanic". In 1911, when leaving for the 11th voyage, the Olympic collided with the British cruiser Hawk. At the same time, the latter miraculously remained afloat, while the Olympic escaped with minor damage.

19. Younger brother The Titanic, the Britannic, was supposed to be called the Gigantic, but after the crash of the first liner, the builders decided to moderate their ambitions. The Britannic was the most comfortable of the three ships, with two hairdressers, a children's playroom, and a second-class gymnasium. Unfortunately, passengers did not have time to appreciate the merits of the new liner. After the outbreak of the war, she was converted into a hospital ship and soon hit a mine near Greece. True, most of the people on board were saved.

20. The last passenger on the Titanic died in 2009 at the age of 97. At the time of the shipwreck, she was 2.5 months old.

More than 100 years have passed since terrible disaster one of the largest ships of its time. But until now, the world does not know all the secrets that the huge, and seemingly indestructible Titanic hides. How the ship sank, the material will tell.

Giants fight

The 20th century became the century technical progress. Skyscrapers, cars, movies - everything developed at an uncanny pace. The process also affected the ships.

There was a lot of competition in the market in the early 1900s due to customers between the two big companies. Cunard Line and White Star Line, two hostile transatlantic carriers, have been competing for the right to be the leader in their field for several years in a row. opened up interesting opportunities for companies, so over the years their ships became larger, faster and more magnificent.

Why and how the Titanic sank is still a mystery. There are many versions. The most daring of them is a scam. It was held by the aforementioned Star Line company.

But he opened the world of amazing liners "Cunard Line". By their order, two extraordinary steamships "Mauritania" and "Lusitania" were built. The audience was amazed by their grandeur. The length is about 240 m, the width is 25 m, the height from the waterline to the boat deck is 18 m. (But after a few years, the dimensions of the Titanic surpassed these parameters). Two twin giants were launched in 1906 and 1907. They won first places in prestigious competitions and beat all speed records.

For the competitors of "Kunard Line" it became a matter of honor to give a worthy answer.

The fate of the troika

The White Star Line was founded in 1845. During the years of the gold rush, she made money by flying from Britain to Australia. Throughout the years, the company competed with Cunard Line. Therefore, after the Lusitania and Mauritania were launched, the Star Line engineers were tasked with creating fantastic designs that would surpass the offspring of competitors. The final decision was made in 1909. This is how the idea of ​​three ships of the Olympic class was born. The order was carried out by Harland and Wolfe.

This maritime organization was famous throughout the world for the quality of its ships, comfort and luxury. Speed ​​was not a priority. Several times "Star Line" proved not by word but by deed that it cares about customers. So, in 1909, when two liners collided, their ship stood on the water for another two days, which proved its quality. However, the trio of “Olympic” misfortune befell. repeatedly got into accidents. So, in 1911, it collided with the Hawk cruiser, from which it received a 14-meter hole and went for repairs. Misfortune befell the Titanic. He found himself at the bottom of the ocean in 1912. "Britanic" caught the First World War, where he played the role of a hospital, and in 1916 he was blown up by a German mine.

Miracle of the Seas

Now we can safely say that great ambitions were the reason why the Titanic crashed.

The construction of the second of three Olympic-class vessels was not without casualties. 1500 people worked on the project. The conditions were not easy. There was little concern for safety. Due to the fact that they had to work at a height, many builders broke down. About 250 people were seriously injured. The wounds of eight men were incompatible with life.

The dimensions of the Titanic were astounding. Its length was 269 m, width 28 m, height 18 m. It could reach speeds of up to 23 knots.

On the day the liner was launched, 10,000 spectators, including VIP guests and the press, gathered on the embankment to see an unusually large ship,

The date of the first flight was previously announced. The voyage was scheduled for March 20, 1912. But due to the collision of the first ship in September 1911 with the Hawk cruiser, some of the workers were transferred to the Olympic. The flight was automatically rescheduled for April 10. It is from this date that the fateful story of the Titanic begins.

fatal ticket

Its height was equal to an eleven-story building, and its length was four blocks of the city. Telephones, elevators, its own electrical grid, a garden, a hospital, shops - all this was placed on the ship. Luxurious halls, gourmet restaurants, a library, a swimming pool and a gym - everything was available high society, first class passengers. Other clients lived more modestly. Most expensive tickets cost, in today's exchange rate, more than $50,000. Economical option from

The history of the Titanic is history different layers society of that time. Expensive cabins were occupied by successful ones, famous personalities. Tickets for the second class were bought by engineers, journalists, representatives of the clergy. The cheapest decks were for expats.

Landing began at 9:30 am on 10 April in London. After several scheduled stops, the liner headed for New York. IN total 2208 people boarded.

tragic meeting

Immediately after entering the ocean, the team realized that there were no binoculars on the ship. The key to the box they were kept in was missing. The ship followed the most safe route. It was chosen according to the season. In the spring, the water was full of icebergs, but theoretically they could not seriously damage the liner. Nevertheless, the captain gave the order to drive the Titanic at full speed. How the ship sank, which, according to the owners, could not be sunk, was later told by passengers who were lucky enough to survive.

The first days of sailing were quiet. But already on April 14, radio operators received repeated warnings about icebergs, which were largely ignored. In addition, the temperature dropped significantly at night. As you know, the team did without binoculars, and such a grandiose ship was not equipped with searchlights. Therefore, the lookout noticed the iceberg only 650 meters away. The man signaled to the bridge, where First Officer Murdoch gave the order: "Turn left" and "Let reverse". This was followed by the command: "To the right." But the clumsy ship was slow to maneuver. The board collided with an iceberg. That is why the Titanic crashed.

Distress signal not heard

The collision happened at 23:40, when people were almost all asleep. On the upper deck, the impact was invisible. But the bottom was pretty shocked. Ice perforated 5 sections, they instantly began to fill with water. In general, the length of the hole was 90 meters. The designer said that with such damage, the ship would last a little more than an hour. The crew was preparing for an emergency evacuation. The radio operators broadcast an SOS signal.

The captain gave the order to put women and children in the boats. The team itself also wanted to survive, so strong sailors took oars in their hands. The wealthy passengers of the Titanic were the first to escape. But there wasn't enough room for everyone.

From the very beginning, the liner was not sufficiently equipped with everything necessary. A maximum of 1,100 people could be saved. In the first minutes it was completely imperceptible that the ship began to sink, so the relaxed passengers did not understand what was happening and reluctantly climbed into the half-empty boats.

The last moments of the miracle ship

When the nose of the liner tilted heavily, mass panic increased among the passengers.

The third class was left closed in its unit. Riots began, and people in horror tried to escape, as best they could. The guards tried to restore order and frightened the crowd with pistol shots.

At that time, the steamship Californian was passing nearby, but she did not receive a signal for help from a neighboring vessel. Their radio operator overslept messages. How the Titanic sank, and with what speed it went to the bottom, only Carpathia knew, which headed towards them.

Despite the distress signals given, independent attempts to escape did not stop. Pumps pumped out water, there was still electricity. At 2:15 the pipe fell. Then the light went out. Experts believe that the liner was torn in half, because the bow took on water and sank. The stern first rose up, and then, under the pressure of its own weight, the ship broke.

Cold in the abyss

The nose sank quickly. Feed in a few minutes also went under water. But at the same time, its lining, body, furniture floated up. At 2:20 a.m., the great ship Titanic was completely submerged. How the ship sank, dozens of feature films and documentaries are shown today.

Some passengers tried hard to survive. Dozens jumped off in vests into the black abyss. But the ocean was merciless to man. Almost everyone froze to death. After some time, two boats returned, but only a few survived at the scene. An hour later, the Carpathia arrived and picked up those who remained.

The captain went down with the ship. 712 people were saved from all those who bought a ticket for the Titanic. Those who died in 1496 were mostly representatives of the third class, people who, on this journey, wanted to touch something unrealizable and desirable.

Scam of the century

Two vessels of the Olympic class were built according to the same project. After the first ship set sail, all its shortcomings came out. So, the management decided to add some details to the Titanic. They reduced the place for walking, completed the cabins. A café has been added to the restaurant. To protect passengers from bad weather, the deck was closed. As a result, an external difference appeared, although earlier it could not be distinguished from the Olympic liner.

The version that the Titanic was under water was not accidental, was published by Robin Rardiner, an expert in shipping matters. According to his theory, the older and battered Olympic was sent to sail.

Ship change

The first liner was launched without insurance. Having survived several accidents, he became an unpleasant burden for the company. Permanent repairs required enormous funds. After the damage inflicted on him by the cruiser, the ship was again sent on vacation. Then it was decided to replace the old ship with a new one, which was insured and very similar to the Titanic. How the liner sank is known, but few people know that after the tragedy, the White Star Line company received round compensation.

It wasn't hard to create a disaster. Both ships were in the same place. The Olympic received a cosmetic overhaul, rebuilt the deck and stuck a new name. The hole was patched with cheap steel, which weakens in icy water.

Confirmation of the theory

An important proof of the veracity of the version is indisputable facts. For example, the fact that the world's magnates and successful, rich people abruptly and for no reason abandoned the long-awaited trip the day before. Among them was the owner of the company, John Pierpont Morgan. A total of 55 first class customers canceled their tickets. Also, all expensive paintings, jewelry, gold reserves and treasures were removed from the liner. The idea arises that the privileged passengers of the Titanic knew some secret.

Interestingly, Edward John Smith, who still sailed on the Olympic, was appointed captain. He repeatedly noted that this was his last flight in his life. Those around him took the words literally, as the sailor was about to retire. Researchers believe that this was a punishment to the commander for past mistakes on the previous ship.

Many questions also arise because of the first assistant to the captain, William Murdoch, who ordered to turn to the left and turn on the reverse gear. The correct solution in such a situation would be to go straight and wrinkle your nose. In this case, the Titanic would not have ended up at the bottom.

mummy's curse

For years, stories have circulated that untold treasures were left on board. Among them is the mummy of the seer of Pharaoh Amenhotep. Even 3000 years ago, a woman predicted that her body would fall under water and this would happen under the screams of innocent dead people. But skeptics do not consider the prophecy to be true, although they do not exclude the possibility that the secrets of the Titanic have not yet been discovered.

There is also such a version: the catastrophe was planned to suspend the technical But this theory is even less plausible than the myth of the mummy.

The ruins lie at a depth of 3750 meters. Dozens of grandiose dives were carried out to the liner. James Cameron, the film director of the famous film, has repeatedly been in the research group.

A century has passed, and the secrets of the Titanic are still of interest and excite humanity.

On the night of September 1, 1985, an American-French expedition led by oceanologist Robert Ballard discovered the Titanic steam boiler at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. Soon the remains of the ship itself were discovered. Thus ended the long epic search for the sunken ship, which was carried out by several independent researchers, but for a long time was unsuccessful due to incorrect coordinates of the death of the ship, broadcast on the fateful night of 1912. The discovery of the remains of the Titanic opened new page in its history: answers to many controversial questions became known; a number of facts that were considered proven and irrefutable turned out to be erroneous.

The first intentions to find and raise the Titanic appeared immediately after the disaster. Families of several millionaires wanted to find their bodies deceased relatives to properly bury them, and discussed the issue of raising the Titanic with one of the companies that specialized in underwater rescue work. But at that time there was no technical possibility to carry out such an operation. A plan was also discussed to drop charges of dynamite on the ocean floor so that some bodies would rise from the explosions to the surface, but these intentions were eventually abandoned.

Later, a number of crazy projects were developed to raise the Titanic. For example, it was proposed to fill the ship's hull with ping-pong balls or attach helium tanks to it, which would lift it to the surface. There were many other projects, mostly fantastic. In addition, before trying to raise the Titanic, it had to be found first, and this was not so simple.

One of contentious issues in the history of the Titanic for a long time remained the coordinates broadcast along with the distress signal. They were determined by the fourth assistant captain, Joseph Boxhall, based on the coordinates that were calculated a few hours before the collision, the speed and course of the vessel. There was no time to check them in detail in that situation, and Carpathia, who came to the rescue a few hours later, successfully reached the boats, however, the first doubts about the correctness of the coordinates arose already during the investigation of 1912. At that time, the question remained open and When the first serious attempts to search for the Titanic began in the 80s, the researchers faced a problem: the Titanic was neither at the indicated coordinates, nor near them. The situation was aggravated and local conditions catastrophes - after all, the Titanic was at a depth of almost 4 km and the search required appropriate equipment.

In the end, luck smiled at Robert Ballard, who, step by step, was preparing for the expedition for almost 13 years. After almost two months of searching, when only 5 days remained until the end of the expedition and Ballard had already begun to doubt the success of the event, some strange shadows appeared on the monitor connected to the video camera on the descent vehicle. This happened at almost one in the morning on September 1, 1985. It soon became clear that this was nothing more than the wreckage of a ship. After some time, one of the steam boilers was discovered and there was no doubt that the wreckage belonged to the Titanic. The next day, the front of the ship's hull was discovered. The lack of a stern turned out to be a big surprise: after an investigation in 1912, it was officially considered that the ship sank entirely.

Ballard's first expedition gave answers to many questions and gave the world a number of contemporary photographs Titanic, but much remained unexplained. A year later, Ballard again went to the Titanic, and this expedition already used a deep-sea descent vehicle that could deliver three people to the ocean floor. There was also a small robot that allowed research inside the vessel. This expedition clarified many questions that had remained open since 1912, and after it Ballard no longer planned to return to the Titanic. But what Ballard did not do, others did, and new expeditions soon reached the Titanic. Some of them were purely research in nature, some pursued the goal of lifting various objects from the bottom, incl. and for sale at auctions, which caused many scandals about the moral and ethical side of the issue. James Cameron also descended to the Titanic several times; not only for the filming of his 1997 film, but also for research using robotics inside the ship (see the documentary "Ghosts of the Abyss: Titanic"), which revealed many new facts about the condition of the ship and its once magnificent finish.

As for the issue of raising the Titanic, it became clear after Ballard's expeditions that this operation would not only be daunting and expensive; the ship's hull has long been in such a state that it will simply crumble into pieces, if not during lifting, then on the surface.

1. Let's see how the Titanic looks now and how it looked before. The Titanic sank in the Atlantic at a depth of almost 4 km. During the dive, the ship broke into two parts, which now lie on the bottom about six hundred meters apart. A lot of debris and objects are scattered around them, incl. and a pretty big piece of the Titanic's hull.

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2. Model of the bow. When the ship fell to the bottom, the nose was very well buried in the silt, which greatly disappointed the first researchers, because it turned out to be impossible to inspect the place of impact on the iceberg without special equipment. The ragged hole in the body, which is visible on the layout, was formed from hitting the bottom.

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3. Panorama of the bow, assembled from several hundred photographs. From right to left: right above the edge of the bow, a winch of a spare anchor sticks out, behind it there is a mooring device, immediately behind it is an open hatch into hold No. 1, from which the breakwater lines diverge to the sides. There is a fallen mast on the deck between the superstructure, under it there are two more hatches in the holds and winches for working with cargo. In front of the main superstructure, there used to be a captain's bridge, which collapsed during the fall to the bottom and is now guessed now only in separate details. Behind the bridge, a superstructure with cabins for officers, a captain, a radio room, etc., has been preserved, which is crossed by a crack formed at the site of the expansion joint. A gaping hole in the superstructure - a place for the first chimney. Immediately behind the superstructure, another hole is visible - this is a well in which the main staircase was located. To the left is something very torn - there was a second pipe.

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4. The nose of the Titanic. The most button accordion object of underwater photographs of the ship. At the end, you can see a loop on which a cable was put on that held the mast.

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5. The photo on the left shows the winch of the spare anchor towering over the bow.

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6. The main anchor of the port side. It's amazing how he didn't fly down when he hit the bottom.

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7. Spare anchor:

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8. Behind the spare anchor is a mooring device:

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9. Open hatch to hold No. 1. The lid flew off to the side, apparently when it hit the bottom.

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10. On the mast there used to be the remains of a "crow's nest", where the lookouts were, but ten or twenty years ago they fell off down and now only the hole in the mast, through which the lookouts got to the spiral staircase, reminds of the "crow's nest". The protruding tail behind the hole is the fastening of the ship's bell.

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11. Board of the ship:

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12. Only one of the steering wheels remained from the captain's bridge.

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13. Boat deck. The superstructure on it in some places is either uprooted or torn.

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14. The preserved part of the superstructure in front of the deck. Below on the right is the entrance to the front staircase of the 1st class.

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15. Surviving davits, a bath in Captain Smith's cabin and the remains of a steamship whistle that was installed on one of the pipes.

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16. A huge well now gapes in place of the front staircase. There are no traces of the stairs.

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17. Staircase in 1912:

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18. And the same perspective in our time. Looking at the previous photo, it's hard to believe that this is the same place.

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19. Behind the stairs there were several elevators for 1st class passengers. Separate elements have been preserved from them. The inscription, depicted at the bottom right, was placed opposite the elevators and denoted the deck. This inscription belonged to deck A; the bronze letter A has already fallen off, but traces of it remain.

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20. 1st class lounge on deck D. This is the bottom of the main staircase.

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21. Although almost all the wooden trim of the ship has long been eaten away by microorganisms, some elements are still preserved here.

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22. The restaurant and the 1st class lounge on deck D were separated from the outside world by large stained glass windows that have survived to this day.

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23. Remains of former beauty:

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24. From the outside, the windows are guessed by the characteristic double portholes.

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25. Chic chandeliers have been hanging in their places for over 100 years.

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26. The once-splendid interiors of 1st class cabins are now littered with debris and debris. In some places you can find preserved elements of furniture and objects.

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29. Some more details. The door to the restaurant on deck D and a sign indicating service doors:

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30. The stokers had their own "front staircase". In order not to meet passengers, a separate staircase led from the boiler rooms to the cabins of the stokers.

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31. By ocean floor scattered hundreds of items, ranging from parts of the vessel and ending with the personal belongings of passengers.