Shipwrecks - Time Capsules of Human Civilization

Titanic Logs - July 12th Time to Return to Titanic Pt 8

This is our series of supplemental logs that were taken from our scientific research expedition to RMS Titanic earlier last month. I hope that you enjoy!

The next destination for our photometric analysis of Titanic is the stern section of the ship. In order to get to the stern, the MIR submersible will have to transnavigate through the 800-meter debris field. To understand the way Titanic came to rest on the ocean bottom, it is important to know the sequence of events that occurred during its break-up on the surface of the ocean on April 15th, 1912.

As Titanic was taking in icy cold seawater from the bow, each compromised watertight compartment filled until Titanic started to sink nose first. The tremendous amount and weight of this water caused the ship’s stern to rise. As the nose got even more perpendicular to the ocean while sinking, the stern rose to such a point that the ship could not sustain its structural integrity. This stress caused the ship to break into two pieces believed to have occurred at the aft expansion joint. The two sections of the ship separated from each other very near the surface and each section had an independent path to ocean floor. Since the bow section was filled with water, the pressure within its compartments was fairly equalized and the bow rapidly sank to the bottom with great velocity. As it struck the ocean floor, the bow hit with such a jolt that over 2/3’s of the bow is under the ocean floor. Despite the rapid rate that the bow hit the ocean’s floor, the integrity of the bow is very intact because it was filled with water at the surface. Unfortunately the stern was not so lucky. The stern sank with much air trapped inside its compartments. As the stern sank, it started to rotate, as the air tried its best to escape. However, these compartments were not strong enough to withstand the water pressure and the stern eventually imploded. By the time it hit the ocean bottom, the stern looked like it went through a food processor, and its steel plates were shredded by this rapid descent. The aft section of Titanic’s stern is facing the aft section of the ship’s bow. The distance between the two sections of the ship is called the debris field because it contains many items of the ship that were released as the ship was making its way to the ocean floor. The next stop for our study is the poop deck area and the port propeller.

Titanic Logs - July 12th Time to Return to Titanic Pt 7

This is our series of supplemental logs that were taken from our scientific research expedition to RMS Titanic earlier last month. I hope that you enjoy!

Examining Titanic's port side Officer's Quarters reveal a very similar morphological structure to that of the starboard side. Several windows of these quarters were opened and I used both my video camera's optical and digital zoom to get some nice internal shots within these cabins. At no time did we come in contact with Titanic as this was always our primary consideration. I took additional pictures of the expansion joint on this side of the ship to compare with the photos taken on the starboard side. It will be interesting to see if the widening of the expansion joint is uniform for each side or not. Going forward of the expansion joint, the officer's quarters show a marked structural decay. On this side of the ship, we can see a couple of lifeboat davits lying on the boat deck. During this latest pass of Titanic's bow, we ended up on the port side of the wheelhouse where the bridge wing would of been located.

Before we left the bow section of Titanic, I had two places that I wanted to visit to assess the ship's structural deterioration. The first place was the starboard side hull, aft of the anchor and forward of the first lifeboat davit. There is a huge hole in the starboard side of Titanic that is getting bigger and bigger. This hole is so large that it could literally "swallow" the MIR and the integrity of the bow is certainly compromised by this ever-widening gap. The bow section of the ship is settling into the ocean floor and is creating torque on the rest of the intact bow section. In 2003, we discovered a new tear in the starboard hull just aft of this huge hole and we took some additional pictures to assess the changes over the past two years. We will be revealing the changes to this area in the next few weeks.

The second place that I wanted to visit was the boiler room area at the farthest aft portion of the bow section. In 2003, we did not visit this area as we spent time looking at the Grand Staircase instead. This time, we decided not to go to the Grand Staircase but to spend our time at the Boiler Room. I am very glad that I did. These boilers are HUGE! No pictures, video or 3-D IMAX can portray the immense size that these boilers are. There were a total of 29 boilers - 24 double-ended and five single-ended. Seeing these boilers embedded in the aft section of the bow was a humbling experience. Before we left the bow section, we stopped our video and had a moment of silence for all the people that perished on Titanic. It was hard to keep our composure during this moment of silence as we paid our respects to the dead!

Titanic Logs - July 12th Time to Return to Titanic Pt 6

This is our series of supplemental logs that were taken from our scientific research expedition to RMS Titanic earlier last month. I hope that you enjoy!

After exploring the mast thoroughly, we pass over the cargo hold, windlass and large cargo cranes on our way to the bridge area. The best known structure on the bridge is the telemotor, where the ship's wheel was attached. In front of the telemotor is the wooden frame of where the bridge once was and this frame has now become a platform for the placing of memorial plaques. It is obvious that this wood must of been treated otherwise the wood-boring worms would have consumed it long ago. On the port side of the telemotor is a fallen davit of lifeboat number 2, aft of the telemotor is the decaying facade of the officer's quarters and starboard of the telemotor is the extended davit of lifeboat number 1 that has been frozen in place since 1912.

Moving down the boat deck on the starboard side, we come across Captain E. J. Smith's cabin. The forward antechamber of his cabin has decayed quite significantly and the support for the walls and ceiling will collapse within the next 5 years. In his bedroom quarters, the external wall has collapsed and exposed his bathroom. The most prominent structure in his bathroom is a large, white porcelain bathtub with associated faucets that look in pristine condition. Further aft of the Captain's quarter, the remainder of the Officer's Quarters look to be in great shape. Literally "strolling" this deck area, the structures are fairly intact and even the side lights that dot the walls are still prevalent. One area that I was keen on observing was the bow expansion joint between the two sections of the Officer's Quarters. In 2003, I observed a rather large gap in this expansion joint and I was curious to see if this gap had increased over the past two years. Over the next month, we will be able to conclusively answer this question based on our photometric studies.

As we ascended several feet above the boat deck we will cross over to the port side of the ship and observe the condition of the port side officer's quarters. On our way, we pass over an overhead opening to the Marconi Room where Harold Bride and John Phillips sent out the SOS and CQD messages to send assistance to the sinking Titanic - right up to the time that water was ankle deep around them. These two brave radiomen were heroes at the time. Harold Bride survived the ordeal to testify about the events on board the Titanic that fateful night; however, Phillips was retrieved from the cold waters by a lifeboat but later succumbed to hypothermia. Inside this opening, you can see many wires that were used to send out these radio messages. It never ceases to amaze me how every place that we visit on the ship has a unique story to tell.

Titanic Logs - July 12th Time to Return to Titanic Pt 5

This is our series of supplemental logs that were taken from our scientific research expedition to RMS Titanic earlier last month. I hope that you enjoy!

As MIR II starts its exploration on the wreck site of Titanic, we will proceed aft of the bow sprit and take photographs and video of many interesting bow features. The first thing that we see on the bow is the auxiliary anchor and its crane that sticks up quite prominently on the bow. The railings are in very good condition at this place in the bow and going aft, we see the huge anchor chains, bulwarks and capstans of this great ship. The anchor chain links are very big and appear to be about 3 feet in length and in excellent condition. On top of a few of the capstans, there are plaques that were placed by several earlier expeditions, including one placed by Dr. Robert Ballard in 1986. All the wooden decking on the bow has been consumed by the worms and other organisms; however, the caulking used to connect the wooden pieces together are still intact.

The next area that we went to was the mast section of the ship. The mast was found by the Ballard expedition of 1985 to have fallen over at its most proximal end and subsequently the distal end landed on top of the bridge area of the bow. I was particularly interested in the mast, not only because of its historical significance, but because I was very concerned about its physical condition - based on my previous observations from 2003 where the metal appeared to have severely fatigued or "crumbled" above the crow's nest opening.  From a historical perspective, this crow's nest opening is where Titanic lookout, Frederick Fleet, first saw the iceberg and uttered the infamous line, "Iceberg - right ahead" to the bridge. The bell stanchion where the bell signaled an alert to the bridge is still attached to the mast but the bell is missing. In a paper that I am set to deliver to the OCEANS 2005 conference in September, my 2003 observations predicted that the mast would collapse at the area where I noticed this "crumbling" in less than 10 years. In looking at Dr. Ballard's high-definition pictures last year, the mast was still intact and I was certainly hopeful that this mast would remain this way when I visited her. Imagine my surprise to see that the mast had collapsed at the exact same point that I had earlier observed the "crumbling" and it was only two years after my previous visit. I guess that I will have to change my presentation to take into account this observation.  Now the mast looks like an elongated "L" shape and from the side appears like a huge water slide as the mast extends itself down from the bridge area. One other observation about the mast reveal that it is shedding its metal exterior throughout the length of the mast like the peeling of a banana.

Titanic Logs - July 12th Time to Return to Titanic Pt 4

This is our series of supplemental logs that were taken from our scientific research expedition to RMS Titanic earlier last month. I hope that you enjoy!

It is at this point in our dive where our photometric studies begin.  Nautical Research Group is looking at the morphological changes in the structural integrity of Titanic by use of photo and video comparisons of Titanic's features throughout the period since she was discovered in 1985 until the present. It is by subjectively comparing these morphological changes over time, that scientists and laymen can assess the deterioration of Titanic. The objective of our study is to capture as much photo and video footage of Titanic without touching, entering, disturbing or salvaging of any portions of the ship. We will treat the wreck as a grave site with the utmost respect and dignity that it deserves.

The MIR submersible has three windows for viewing sites on the wreck. The main window that the pilot uses to navigate the MIR is only seven inches in diameter; whereas the starboard and port windows are offset from the center window and are only five and one-half inches in diameter.  We will be shooting our photos and video through these three windows. Additionally, MIR II is equipped with a high-definition camera that is mounted on one of the submersible's robotic arms. These cameras were placed on the MIR by James Cameron for the expressed purpose of supporting his July 24th Discovery Channel live broadcast and our pilot, Genya Cherniev will be testing this camera throughout our dive.

As we hug the ocean floor, the huge steel prow of the Titanic comes into view. All around the bottom of this sleek bow is the remnants of long-decayed and fallen rusticles. As you look at the port side of the bow, we can see the massive anchor that is just above the sandy bottom. More than two-thirds of the bow is buried into the ocean bottom through the intense speed that the water-filled bow landed during the sinking on April 15, 1912. The anchor is starting to "bleed" through the effects of microbial decay and it looks like the anchor is literally starting to melt away. As we proceed forward of the anchor, we come up to deck-level and see the beautiful bow sprit where Leonardo proclaimed "I am the king of the world".  This view is the most photographed portion of Titanic and it is incredible. I had an opportunity to extensively film this portion of the bow with special emphasis on the formation of a rusticle "beard" that has developed below the bow sprit. Two beautiful soft corals are growing on the railing about the bow sprit and make for a very surrealistic scene. Overall, there is little change that can be visually observed and detected in Titanic's physical structure on this bow sprit area from the time the ship was discovered.

Titanic Logs - July 12th Time to Return to Titanic Pt 3

This is our series of supplemental logs that were taken from our scientific research expedition to RMS Titanic earlier last month. I hope that you enjoy!

Since we were staggered about 30 minutes from MIR I's launch, we entered MIR II at 10:00 am and hit the water at 10:16 am. The outside air temperature is 80 degrees Fahrenheit and once our pilot, Genya Cherniev, sealed the MIR, the temperature inside the MIR was 92 degrees F.  The MIR support staff is excellent and very efficient. Once we hit the water, the cowboys in the zodiac disconnected us from the Keldysh crane and attached us to the Koresh for moving us in position to dive down to Titanic. During this period, the MIR is subjected to the motion of the surface waves and it could resemble being in an amusement park ride. Once we were clear of Keldysh, the cowboys disconnected our tether to Koresh and we started are descent to Titanic. Just prior to the beginning of our descent, the temperature in the MIR climbed to 96 degrees F. It is a good thing that I dressed in layers and I had already peeled down into the innermost polypropylene thermal layer. As Genya turns on the submersible ballast tanks to take in sea water, the additional weight of this water started our long voyage to the bottom of the ocean.

As we descend, the visible ambient surface light is lost very rapidly.  Ambient light turns to a dark purple at 460 feet and turns pitch black at 600 feet. There is a slight current that is pushing us to the north-north-east and surface water temperature is about 68 degrees.  The rate of descent is approximately 100 feet per minute and we will have about 2 hours and 15 minutes of descent time down to the ocean bottom at 12, 600 feet. Periodically, I have asked Genya to turn on our external lights so that I can observe some of the deep water sea life as we go through the many thousands of feet of water. The most prevalent sea life that we observe on our journey is plankton and other white particulate matter. Additionally, we observed several different species of shrimp, small fish and microbial matter as we transcend through the water column.

By the time we reached 500 meters depth, the temperature within the MIR was around 90 degrees F but the external temperature in the seas has gone from 20 degrees C down to 4.2 degrees C.  At 12:19 pm, we finally reached the ocean floor at 3890 meters, the internal MIR temperature slipped to 69 degrees F and the external water temperature was 2.35 degrees C. Looking at the submersible's sonar as we pinged for Titanic revealed that we were only about 400 meters away from the bow. Looking at this sonar image was awesome as the huge pointed nose of Titanic loomed head. At 12:34 pm we got our first glimpse of this once-proud ocean liner, as it appears from the darkness of the deep ocean. It was like greeting an old friend!

Titanic Logs - July 12th Time to Return to Titanic Pt 2

This is our series of supplemental logs that were taken from our scientific research expedition to RMS Titanic earlier last month. I hope that you enjoy!

It is such an orchestrated production watching the MIR submersible team launch the MIRs into the ocean. Everyone does their assigned task with precision accuracy. Watching up from the MIR launching pad, you see the entire production unfold around you in a brilliant display of teamwork. Before the dive, plenty of photographs are taken. MIR I has just launched with my good friends from Arizona named Brian Day O'Connor and Eric Crown. Brian is a world-class mountain climber and adventurer while Eric is the founder and former CEO of the Insight Company. The pilot for MIR I today is veteran Titanic pilot Victor Nescheta. There are two support boats that facilitate the launching of the MIRs. The first boat is a rugged, twenty foot craft called Koresh (which means companion) that tows the MIRs away from Keldysh to their assigned location to dive. The other boat is a zodiac that carries divers that release the MIRs from both the Keldysh crane and Koresh. These divers are known as cowboys and they get their names for literally riding the MIRs at times like a bucking bronco.

The MIRs were refit for an extended period of time last year. During this refit, they created a newer, more stable ladder to allow MIR aquanauts a easier way to get on to the top area of the submersible where the hatch is located. Once you climb the ladder, you sit down beside the hatch and take off your shoes. After some last photo moments waving from atop of the MIR, you descend the hatchway into the MIR by using a small ladder. In this case, I was the first to enter the MIR, followed by Rob Goldsmith and our pilot, Genya Cherniev. The size of the capsule of the MIR is about the size of a Volkswagen Beetle and it is very small. Although there is plenty of headroom, the length of the two observers areas are only five feet so you will be in a modified fetal position for the next thirteen hours. Once inside the MIR, I took my position on the starboard side of the submersible and watched the hatch slowly sealed. It is time to return to Titanic!

Titanic Logs - July 12th Time to Return to Titanic Pt 1

This is our series of supplemental logs that were taken from our scientific research expedition to RMS Titanic earlier last month. I hope that you enjoy!

Time to revisit my old friend Titanic today. It has been two years since my initial dive to visit the wrecksite and I have spent many long hours thinking about what I would see, how could I film her better and what neat science that we could do to analyze her deterioration process and protect her from the ravages of the sea. Being a biological scientist, I had to collaborate with many different scientists of various diverse backgrounds to examine the relationship between plankton and microbes, microbes and the steel, microbes and the thriving community of rusticles. With this dive, I will have my first true data point comparisons that we have directly taken from the wrecksite; albeit, would take many data point comparisons over many years to conclusively deduce quantitatively the effects of the sea and bacteria are having on Titanic.

This morning was quite beautiful and a large pod of pilot whales were seen very close to Keldysh. The night before the dive, I had very little to eat and drink and got to bed at a fairly early 11 pm. Previously, the MIR team's "chief", affectionately called Mother, gave me the official MIR dive coveralls to be used on the dive. Because we will be in the MIR's enclosed nickel-steel capsule, and the atmosphere will remain at a constant one atmosphere, it is very important to wear non-flammable items and apparel. No perfumes, colognes, make-up, lip balm etc can be worn inside this atmosphere. No shoes are allowed in the MIR and it is best to dress in layers as the temperatures within the dive change very drastically from the surface to the deep depths.

This morning I was up around 6:30 am and felt quite relaxed and excited. I got together with my dive partner Rob Goldsmith from the UK and the History Channel producer/videographer named Andrew Brooking to discuss today's dive, what we plan on seeing and what filming expectations would be needed for today's shoot on Titanic. At 8:00 am, I met with Anatoly Sagalevitch, Victor Nescheta, Genya Cherniev and the remainder of the MIR submersible team for the official briefing and the signing of the famous MIR log book. This meeting takes only 10 minutes and I was back into the dining room speaking with other expedition members - however had no breakfast or liquids. Once breakfast was over, I went up into my room to dress for the trip to Titanic. My apparel for this trip includes polypropylene thermal underwear, three pairs of socks, two hats-one knit and one baseball cap. Things to bring in my bag, other than 3 cameras were a log book for scientific observations, a pair of gloves (probably did not need them), a sweat shirt, small towels (to wipe off any condensation from the MIR's portholes), tissue, plastic bags, extra batteries and digital tape etc. With a large list of items checked off, I was ready to report down to the MIR launching station at 9:30 am.

Titanic Logs - July 11th Nice Day for a Dive

This is our series of supplemental logs that were taken from our scientific research expedition to RMS Titanic earlier last month. I hope that you enjoy!

Another beautiful sunny day greets our expedition team as Keldysh is stationed over the wreck site of Titanic. Normally, the MIR submersibles do not work back-to-back days; however, the crew worked throughout the night readying both submersibles for today's dives. With all the wonderful experiences and stories that our Dive Day One aquanauts related to the rest of the team members, there is an excitement in the air. Because of the limited space in the MIR, there are no rest room facilites. Divers the night before go into what I call a "modified hospital diet". There are no heavy foods and light meals the day before, no food after midnight and limited liquid consumption.

After going through the pre-dive meeting, our aquanauts for today are ready for their dives to commence at 9:45 with the launching of MIR I. On today's dive MIR I will be piloted by Anatoly Sagalevitch and the observers will be the Boris Teterev and Claudio Taboada. Boris is a very warm, bubbly gentlemen from Russia and has a very magnetic personality. Claudio comes from Argentina and he is a friendly gentlemen with a large smile and is a perfect tourism commercial for a visit to Argentina. MIR II will be piloted by Victor Nescheta and the observers will be a husband and wife team from Japan named Tomiko and Shunji Itakura. This couple were the nicest pair and were very much admired and respected from everyone on board the ship. After the rest of the team bid farewell to our aquanauts, it was time to watch some videos and presentations by Don Walsh and Ralph White. I was told today that the dive schedule has changed and that I would be diving with Rob Goldsmith from the UK on Dive Day Three. Rob is being followed by the British History Channel and our dive operations manager, Rob McCallum felt that someone with my background and expertise is deep diving, shipwreck history and my documentary experience would be a better fit for their broadcast. Since I already had a dive plan in mind, and it was validated by our submersible pilot, Genya Cherniev, beforehand, I felt that this would be a good thing for the History Channel. Like clockwork, the MIR submersibles came back to the surface. The first submersible, MIR I at 7:00 pm, followed by MIR II about 35 minutes later.

Titanic Logs - July 10th First Dive

This is our series of supplemental logs that were taken from our scientific research expedition to RMS Titanic last month. I hope that you enjoy!

Everyone is excited for the first dive of our expedition down to Titanic. MIR divers are to report to the MIR Dive Control Center at 8 am where Anatoly Sagalevitch runs through a briefing on the dive plan and introduces key members of his submersible team to the divers. The final step at this meeting is the official signing of the MIR logs. The two MIR departures are staggered approximately 30 minutes apart with MIR I going first at 9:45 am followed by MIR II.

Everyone on the expedition cheers the aquanauts as they climb into the MIR submersibles. The divers in MIR I, diving with Anatoly Sagalevitch, are Fran Capo of the United States and Masayo Goto from Japan. Fran is a very bubbly individual from Long Island and is the official "fastest talker in the world". Fran writes adventure books and there is no doubt that diving to Titanic is the Ultimate Adventure. Joining Fran will be Masayo and she will become the first person from Japan to ever dive the Titanic. Because of her achievement, everyone affectionately named her "Number One". MIR II divers will be piloted by Genya Cherniev and they include Jay and Christina Merten, a wonderful father-daughter team. Jay is a physician (MD) and specializes in ophthalmology. Additionally he is an avid pilot and sailor who lives outside of Dallas, Texas. Jay's daughter, Christina, is an artificial intelligence expert and lives in British Columbia.

While the dives are submerged on Titanic, normal ship life goes on with lectures/presentations, tours to the MIR labs, design of styrofoam cups and general rest. I will be presenting Nautical Research Group's presentation Titanic - The Ultimate Shipwreck to the expedition team that includes a virtual dive to Titanic in the MIR submesibles. This will give expedition divers the feeling for what to see and do in the MIRs and make their own dive more enjoyable.