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Titanic Shipwreck Details Revealed in ‘Very First 8K Video’ Ever Recorded

On April 10, 1912, the RMS Titanic embarked on its maiden voyage, departing Southampton, UK, for New York City. Captain Edward Smith and his crew estimated the trip would take about 137 hours, or close to six days, to reach their destination.

Sadly, however, just four days into the journey, the Titanic struck an iceberg, resulting in catastrophic damage to the ship. The marvel of modern engineering, hailed for its “unsinkable” structure, was rapidly sinking beneath the surface of the Atlantic Ocean.

To make matter worse, the luxury liner was not only short on time but on lifeboats as well. As a result, more than 1,500 passengers and crew members died, making the tragedy the deadliest peacetime sinking of a superliner or cruise ship, a gruesome accolade it holds to this day.

The horrific circumstances surrounding the event drew massive public attention, leading to the creation of the 1997 film Titanic, which only further increased the morbid curiosity surrounding the shipwreck.

More than 100 years after the sinking of the RMS Titanic, fascination surrounding the tragic event remains strong, inspiring both creative works and continued exploration of the wreckage.

The Titanic is located 13,000 feet (almost 2.5 miles) beneath the surface, making it impossible to reach via diving. Over time, however, technology improved, allowing for increasingly detailed images and videos of the iconic ship.

And on Tuesday, researchers and scientists at OceanGate Expeditions released the most detailed video yet. After filming “the very first 8K video” of the wreckage, history buffs everywhere were gifted with a 60-second tour of the ship’s hauntingly intact exterior.

Titanic Explorer Points Out Never-Before-Seen Details

In a subsequent press release, Titanic expert and diver Rory Golden shared the details that even he hadn’t seen before the high-res video. “I had never seen the name of the anchor maker, Noah Hingley & Sons Ltd., on the portside anchor,” he explained.

“I’ve been studying the wreck for decades and have completed multiple dives,” Golden continued. “And I can’t recall seeing any other image showing this level of detail. It is exciting that, after so many years, we may have discovered a new detail that wasn’t as obvious with previous generations of camera technologies.”

The release also explains the specific items to look for in the video. Viewers can see the Titanic’s “renowned bow, the portside anchor, hull number one, an enormous anchor chain (each link weighs approximately 200 pounds or nearly 91 kilograms), the number one cargo hold, and solid bronze capstans.”

With the 8K cameras, the crew “also captured [the] dramatic evidence of decay where some of the Titanic’s rail has collapsed and fallen away from the ship.”

“With the help of scientists, the video will also support identification of species that are observed on and around the Titanic,” OceanGate Expeditions explained. “And archaeologists will be able to document elements of the wreck and debris field in greater detail.”