Nature, Visitors Taking Toll on Titanic

[newyawker99]

When Robert Ballard discovered the Titanic on the North Atlantic seabed in 1985, he was amazed at how well-preserved it was and predicted the wreck would change little in his lifetime.

But scientists and other experts now say that the wreckage - almost covered with corrosive microbes after seven decades under the salty water - is decaying so fast that the 100-foot forward mast has collapsed nearly a decade earlier than previously predicted.

And the crow's nest from which a lookout shouted, "Iceberg, right ahead!" has disappeared.

Atlanta-based RMS Titanic Inc. has sole salvage rights to the ship, but the company says it has no plans to retrieve additional artifacts.

Titanic