Dramatic new video of the Titanic wreckage has revealed the historic ship is rapidly dissolving into the ocean, a victim of ocean currents and metal-eating bacteria.
The crew of Five Deeps Expedition, a team of explorers and videographers, was recording the very first 4K images of the ship, which is located about 640 kilometres off the coast of Newfoundland.
The footage of the wreckage located 3810 metres below the surface is the first in 14 years.
Victor Vescovo, who is leading the expedition, said the team used special submersible vehicles to visit the wreckage five times.
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"It's big. It is a big wreck. I wasn't fully ready for just how large it was. And when it came up on sonar, it really stood out," Vescovo said.
The team also carried out special scans of the wreckage to help build 3D and virtual reality versions of the wreckage.
"It was just extraordinary just to see it all," Vescovo added.
The wreckage of the Titanic has sat at the bottom of the ocean since 1912.
At a depth of 4 kilometres and in cold 1C water, the wreckage has become victim to the force of sweeping eddies and ever-changing sea currents.
Salt corrosion, metal-eating bacteria and deep current action are blamed for most of the ship's deterioration, and experts say their relentlessness will be the final rivet in the Titanic's coffin.
Parks Stephenson, a Titanic historian, said some of the most iconic parts of the wreckage have collapsed and disappeared into the mysterious ocean floor.
"The captain’s bathtub is a favourite image among the Titanic enthusiasts, and that’s now gone. That whole deck hole on that side is collapsing taking with it the staterooms, and the deterioration is going to continue advancing," he said.
Once back on the surface, the team laid a wreath and held a ceremony to honour those who lost their lives in the disaster.
Newshub.
