By Aakanksha Nigam
On Tuesday, Ocean Gate Expeditions released 8K footage of the 110 years old RMS Titanic. The footage is of higher quality than ever and captures an astonishing level of detail and colors.
The footage premiered on the OceanGate Expeditions YouTube channel on August 30th, 2022.
Stockton Rush, President, OceanGate Expeditions, says, “The amazing detail in the 8K footage will help our team of scientists and maritime archaeologists characterize the decay of the Titanic more precisely as we capture new footage in 2023 and beyond. Capturing this 8K footage will allow us to zoom in and still have 4K quality, which is key for large screen and immersive video projects. Even more remarkable are the phenomenal colors in this footage. “
Rory Golden, OceanGate Expeditions Titanic expert, and veteran Titanic diver explain that the footage reveals new details like the name of the anchor maker, Noah Hingley & Sons Ltd., on the portside anchor. She further adds, “One of the most amazing clips shows one of the single-ended boilers that fell to the ocean’s floor when the Titanic broke into two. Notably, it was one of the single-ended boilers that were first spotted when the wreck of the Titanic was identified back in 1985.”
In addition, the crane used to deploy the 15-ton anchor remains on the shipwreck’s deck, along with the shackle that was originally attached to the main mast but has now collapsed. The 8K footage also showcases Titanic’s infamous bow, hull number one, a massive anchor chain, the number one cargo hold, and solid bronze capstans. Several of Titanic’s rails have collapsed and fallen away from the ship, capturing evidence of significant decay.
Future expeditions are scheduled to record fresh films that can be compared year after year, which will help in calculating the Titanic’s pace of disintegration. With the aid of scientists, archaeologists will be able to more precisely record certain aspects of the wreck and debris field with the footage, and the footage will also allow the identification of species seen on and near the Titanic.
