New details have been uncovered by creating a ‘digital twin’ of the infamous wreck of the Titanic.
Deep water specialist Magellan Ltd. has performed the largest underwater 3D scan in the history of the 111-year-old Titanic wreck, revealing new levels of detail that will allow scientists to form a more detailed report of what happened back on that fateful day in 1912.
“I’m seeing details that none of us have ever seen before and this allows me build upon everything that we have learned to date and see the wreck in a new light,” said Parks Stephenson, a Titanic expert. “We’ve got actual data that engineers can take to examine the true mechanics behind the breakup and the sinking thereby get even closer to the true story of the Titanic disaster.”
The scanning process took place during a six-week expedition in the summer of 2022. Using a specialist ship, the team launched two submersibles, named Romeo and Juliet, to depths over 12,500 feet.
The submersibles mapped every millimeter of the Titanic without touching or disturbing the wreck, in accordance with regulations.
The scanning project produced over 16 TB of data, comprising some 715,000 images and a 4k video of the full wreck.
“We believe that this data is approximately ten times larger than any underwater 3D model that’s ever been attempted before,” said Richard Parkinson, Magellan founder and CEO.
The team used a “Point Cloud” process to render and process the data over the course of several months. The final product was able to include detail down to the serial number on the propeller.
“What we’ve created is a highly accurate photorealistic 3D model of the wreck,” said Gerhard Seiffert, a 3D capture specialist who worked on the project. “Previously footage has only allowed you to see one small area of the wreck at a time. This model will allow people to zoom out and to look at the entire thing for the first time.”
Footage from the project has been released by Atlantic Productions, the media and film partner in the project.
Following the scan, Magellan held a flower-laying ceremony to pay their respects to the roughly 1,500 people who lost their lives in the accident.
The latest release comes just months after over an hour of new footage taken a few months after the wreck was found in 1985 was released for the first time.
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