100 Years Later, a Single Composite of the Wreck Site of the Titanic

[babylonsister]

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/global/2012/03/100-years-later-single-composite-wreck-site-titanic/49671/

100 Years Later, a Single Composite of the Wreck Site of the Titanic


Adam Clark Estes 975 Views 2:00 PM ET

Get out your microscopes, history buffs, because researchers have finally managed to put together a single picture that includes the entire three-by-five-mile wreck site for the HMS Titanic. Compiled from more than 100,000 photos taken by underwater robots, the composite image shows the world's best remembered shipwreck in strikingly sharp detail. Although much of the debris is hidden, you can see how the ship split apart and tell by the debris that they hit the ground violently. In just over a month -- April 15 -- it will have been a century since the ship hit an iceberg and sunk to the bottom of the Atlantic. Thanks to technology and 100 years of research, we can now not only see the entire Titanic at once but also curse the moon for having steered her toward doom.

[Auntie Bush]

1. Fantastic photography

[Lone_Star_Dem]

2. I find things like this amazing.

Thank you for sharing it here.

[Canuckistanian]

3. Whoa

Almost 100 years, and it's so well-preserved. If the Titanic had been wrecked on land, no traces would be so visible today.

Goes to show you that we know so little about that environment deep at the bottom of our oceans.

[bigwillq]

4. Cool pic

K and R

[JohnyCanuck]

5. A minor corrections, she was the RMS Titanic not the HMS Titanic

The prefix HMS before a ship's name stands for Her (or "His" if a King is on the throne) Majesty's Ship and is a designation reserved for British ships in military service such as the ships of the Royal Navy. The Titanic was a civilian ship crewed by civilians and therefore not a military ship. Her designation as RMS Titanic meant she was a ship under contract to the British postal authorities (i.e. The Royal Mail) to carry mail on behalf of the Post Office. RMS = Royal Mail Ship.

From Wikipedia:

Royal Mail Ship (sometimes Steam-ship or Steamer), usually seen in its abbreviated form RMS, a designation which dates back to 1840, is the ship prefix used for seagoing vessels that carry mail under contract by Royal Mail. Any vessel designated as RMS has the right to both fly the pennant of the Royal Mail when sailing and to include the Royal Mail "crown" logo with any identifying device and/or design for the ship.

It was used by many shipping lines, but is often associated in particular with the Cunard Line, Royal Mail Lines and Union-Castle Line, which held a number of high-profile mail contracts, and which traditionally prefixed the names of many of their ships with the initials "RMS".

While some lines in the past, particularly the Royal Mail Lines, called all their ships RMS, technically a ship would use the prefix only while contracted to carry mail, and would revert at other times to a standard designation such as "SS".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Mail_Ship

[VOX]

6. Amazing image....just amazing. n/t

[Luminous Animal]

7. The moon was steering?

[babylonsister]

10. The answer is NOT nader. :) Newest theory...

http://upload.democraticunderground.com/12283497

Titanic Sunk by "Supermoon" and Celestial Alignment?

[Luminous Animal]

11. :) Yeah, I read the theory but I'm going with big giant sea monster.

[babylonsister]

12. omg...

You cracked me up!!!!

[flamingdem]

8. I wonder if there is a similar shot

of the cruise ship off the Italian coast.

[babylonsister]

13. That was in relatively shallow water. No need. Plus, it's been moved already afaik. nt

[sadbear]

9. I remember a time when we didn't even know where it was

For the longest time, the Titanic was a ghost. It was quite the news sensation when she was found.

[ellisonz]

14. Just to note...

...we do have history groups if you like this sort of news (there's generally a few threads like this one):

American History: http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=forum&id=1163
World History: http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=forum&id=1166

Check them out!

[babylonsister]

15. Thanks! I considered 'weird news', but not history. :) nt

[ellisonz]

16. You're welcome.

They are under appreciated groups. DU has many fine historical minds, and a broad interest in its study and developments. You never know what they'll find