Shipwrecks - Time Capsules of Human Civilization

Back to the Surface - Retrieval of the MIR

The end of our special visit to Titanic is near. After a 3 hour descent to the ocean bottom, six hours of photographs and filming, and then another 3 hours to surface, our visit to this noble shipwreck is completed. It has been a long day but one that will be remembered for all time. One of the most arduous undertaking is about to happen. This is the process where the MIR is lifted back on the decks of the Akademik Keldysh. If the seas are flat, then this process is routine and can be accomplished within a half hour. However, if the seas are nasty, then this can be a very painful and brutal experience. If you saw Bill Paxton in the James Cameron movie Ghosts of the Abyss, on his MIR extraction from the ocean, then this is a perfect example of one of the worst things that can happen. His ride has been described as being placed in a washing machine and getting tumbled over and over and over....

The MIR's surface crew is the best in the world. The people that place the lines on the MIR from the Keldysh are known as cowboys - and their job is very dangerous. In Mr. Paxton's case, the cowboys were literally heaved underwater several times while they tried to lasso the bucking MIRs in tumultuous seas. Once on board the Keldysh, you are given a flute of champagne in recognition of your dive. What you don't see is that everyone downs the champagne in one big gulp and then runs to the nearest bathroom, where you have been holding it for the past 12-14 hours. There are NO bathrooms on the MIR!

Scattered Pieces of Historical Treasure - Titanic's Debris Field

The Titanic separated near the surface of the ocean during its initial stages of sinking. Her bow section was filled with the ocean's waters and she rammed the ocean floor at a high velocity. Although her nose is almost two-thirds buried, she is in relatively good condition. Unfortunately, the stern was filled with air as she sank. Somewhere this trapped air had to be released. As the stern began to sink, the trapped air and its associated pressure started to tear at the superstructure of the ship. When the stern landed, it had rotated 180 degrees from the orientation of the bow and looked like it had gone through a food-processing machine.  Hull and deck plating have collapsed with the most notable structures on the stern being the huge A-frame engines and the propellers.

There is about a half mile that separates the bow and stern sections of Titanic. This area is called the debris field and it is littered with all types of items from Titanic. These items can either come from the ship or were of a personal nature.  The first item that we see is a piece of passenger's luggage. This clearly shows why we treat this wreck site as a grave site with much respect and dignity.  The second portion of this video is a demitasse with a White Star Liner logo clearly visible. The markings on this cup appear to have come from the third class area. Our last segment of the video is either a safe (as one scientist has described it) or an oven (which I truly believe that it is). Which one do you think that this is?

Titanic's Officers and Crew - Men of Honor!

Very few of Titanic's officers and crew survived that fatal night of April 15th, 1912. These men were very brave and stayed at their posts until the very end. The same things can be said of the crew and in particular, two men who were employed by another organization outside of the White Star Line. The two men that were part of another organization were the radiomen who were employed by the Marconi Company.

In this video, MIR I is coming up to a section of the officer's quarters on the starboard side of Titanic. Notice the beautiful brass double-paned windows that are in pristine condition. As we look more aft, the light fixture is clearly seen with the light bulb still clearly in place. Moving on top of this room, the wall fixtures from the deck above can be seen. In the horizon, MIR II is visible and coming in for a rendezvous with MIR I. The hole on the decking is the Marconi Radio Room where Harold Bride and John Phillips gave the distress signals CQD and SOS right up to the end.

Iceberg, Right Ahead - View from the Crow's Nest

The story of Titanic is very unique in that many places on the ship somehow define history. Visiting this section of the bow is certainly one of those areas!

Moving forward of the auxiliary anchor, we can observe several other bow structures.  The first thing that comes into view are the huge links of the anchor chains, followed by a series of capstans and windlasses that were used to hold the ship while docking.  Other structures in our video are the forward ship's railings with beautiful sea growth and the large ship's mast.

As we scan forward towards cargo hold number number two, the fallen mast can be seen lying across the bow of RMS Titanic. The outlet from the mast is where the crow's nest resides. The basket surrounding the crow's nest is gone and might have fallen below. This was the place where the fatal iceberg was first seen by Frederick Fleet who said the infamous word "Iceberg right ahead". Mr Fleet proceeded to ring the bell three times (you can see the bell stanchion in top right of outlet of the mast) and then telephoned the bridge. The large void to the left of the mast is a cargo hold and later you can see the mast with its metal crumbling and the cargo cranes and ship's winches lying on the deck of Titanic.

King of the World - View of Titanic's Bow

Nothing is as thrilling as gliding on the ocean's floor and coming up on a huge structure. At first, you are a bit puzzled by the sheer immense size of this piece of steel. As the suspense lingers and you try to look for something familiar, a sudden realization occurs like a bolt of lightning. What you now recognize before you - face-to-face - is the bow of the famous RMS Titanic.

Nautical Research Group is taking many different photographs and video of the bow section of Titanic. Since the bow is relatively intact, any changes in the morphological structure can be cataloged and assessed. Microbes have caused damage to the steel of Titanic and they have left their characteristic signature mark in the form of rusticles. The wood planking has been consumed by worms and the only thing left is that off the chalking used to glue the decking to the steel hull. The ship's auxiliary anchor can be seen in the front-end bow shot and later in our video, you can see the massive port side anchor with over two-thirds of the bow embedded into the sandy bottom of the ocean.

Launching of the MIRs

Launching and recovering MIR is a tricky process. The sub has to be lowered gently into the water, disconnected from the crane cable and towed away from the ship. During the day, if conditions are calm, the well rehearsed launch crew make it look easy. To disconnect or reconnect the sub from the crane cable a crew member has to jump from a zodiac onto the slippery, rolling, bouncing top of the sub. If, as is sometimes necessary, MIR has to be deployed or recovered at night in blustery conditions, what is already a tricky process becomes extremely dangerous. For the scientists and crew, conditions within the confines of MIR while waiting to be found at the surface after a long dive can be extremely unpleasant.

Prepare to Dive to Titanic

The crew of the MIRs are very stringent in their diving process. Following a final briefing by Anatoly Sagalevitch, the submersible is ready to be entered, then the Keldysh's on-board crane will lift the submersible into the Atlantic's chilly waters. After pre-dive testing, ballast water will be pumped into the tanks and the dive to Titanic will begin. Three Plexiglas portholes, each 7 inches thick, will be the only window to this undersea world. The temperature inside the MIR can get very hot once the steel compartment hatch is closed.

To conserve power, the MIR submersibles run without external lights, however, the pilot will occasionally switch on the lights to observe passing marine life. Some marine life require no viewing lights; and these tiny bioluminescent creatures will be readily apparent as you descend. By 4,000 feet, the interior of the MIR will start to cool and extra clothing can be put on under your suit. Topside, the Keldysh (never out of voice contact) will help navigate the MIR to the wreck site via transponders.

The Largest Research Vessel - Akademik Mstislav Keldysh

The Akademik Mstislav Keldysh is the most advanced deep diving support vessel in the world. Originally built in Finland in 1981, her length of 400 feet and with of 60 feet make her one of the largest research vessels afloat. She displaces 6240 tons and has a maximum speed of 13 knots. The operation is owned and operated by the PP Shirshov Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences.

The operational management for running the Keldysh is led by Captain Yuriy Gorbach and his Keldysh crew. They are a highly skilled, professional team running one of the most unique and safest underwater operations in the world. Keldysh’s crew of scientists and technicians have worked together for over 20 years, participating in deep dive expeditions all over the world with both Pisces and MIR submersibles. The Keldysh carries a complement of around 150 crew, officers and scientists. It also boasts a small swimming pool, sauna, weight room,volleyball court and conference room.

The Keldysh has been used for many National Geographic photo and film projects, and director James Cameron's epic motion picture Titanic. In addition to its 17 laboratories, the Keldysh features a specialized library covering underwater geology, oceanography and deep-sea exploration.

High Technology - The Russian Submersibles MIR

The critical piece of technology that we need in order to dive to Titanic is the MIR submersible and the research vessel, Akademik Mstislav Keldysh has two MIRs onboard its decks. The Russian Academy of Sciences and their Oceanographic Institute are very fortunate to have two of only five submersibles worldwide that can dive to the depths of Titanic at 12, 650 feet. The MIR 1 and MIR 2 (Mir means 'peace' or 'world' in Russian) submersibles are capable of diving to 6500 meters (over 20,000 feet) and can remain beneath the surface for up to 24 hours. They are crewed by a team of elite pilots, engineers and specialists who are regarded by the Russians with almost the same esteem as cosmonauts.

The MIRs were built in Finland in 1987 and are made of a thick nickel-steel external hull. Each MIR weighs 18.6 tons with a length over just over 25 feet and a width of 12 feet. The inside compartment holds three people including the pilot and is very cramped. There are three viewing ports on the MIR, the two side ports are approximately 5.5 inches and the main viewport, that the pilot uses, is a mere 7 inches.The MIR is propelled by a large main propeller at the stern. Since it moves through the water very slowly, and is often required to maintain its position with great precision, a rudder would be pointless. Steerage is achieved through two smaller propellers located mid-laterally and mounted on swivels so that they can provide thrust in any direction. Illumination is provided by a battery of extremely powerful headlights. You will need the Macromedia Flash 7 plug-in to view the video - Please see left panel of our weblog for upload.

Introduction to Titanic

There has never been a more famous shipwreck than the Titanic. It has taken on mythical status as the quintessential disaster where all catastrophes are compared. However, this ship started out its maritime life with much loftier expectations. Her British owner, the White Star Line wanted to make her the most opulent vessel ever built. By the time that she was being built in Belfast, Northern Ireland, the White Star Line was purchased by an American conglomerate, International Mercantile Marine, headed by the billionaire J.P. Morgan. Titanic passed all her sea trials and by April, 1912, she was ready for her maiden voyage. Her home port was Southhampton, England and she set sail with stops in Cherbourg, France and Queenstown (Cobh), Ireland. During her departure from Southhampton, Titanic narrowly averted a collision with the liner, New York as the powerful props from Titanic pulled the smaller liner from its moorings. Ironically, that is the closest to New York that she would ever come! On the clear, dark evening of April 14th, 1912, Titanic stuck and iceberg. It was readily apparent that she was to sink and the lifeboats were released. Sadly this most beautiful ocean liner sank within hours of this collision with the loss of over 1500 lives. 

Last April 2005, this weblog ran a series of historical articles that contained some interesting facts on Titanic to mark its maiden voyage and sinking. Please visit these articles by selecting from the April 2005 archives on the left or select this link.  For viewing of our videos throughout our expedition to Titanic, you will need the Macromedia Flash 7 plug-in to see the video! We have provided a link to this plug-in on the left column of this weblog.