More than 80 minutes of uncut footage from the first ever filmed voyage to what remains of the Titanic has been released to the public. The footage was shot almost 75 years after the ship sunk in 1912.
The release of the never-before-seen footage has been timed to coincide with return of the movie "Titanic," the James Cameron-film depicting the sinking of the ship, to cinemas. For a limited time only, audiences can watch the Oscar-winning movie in 4K 3D in celebration of the movie's 25th anniversary.
Once described to be "unsinkable," the RMS Titanic was the largest ship afloat when it entered service and began its maiden voyage on April 10, 1912. It sunk just five days later after striking an iceberg.
Never-Before-Seen Footage of the Titanic
According to a report by NPR, the new footage from the 1986 dive "contains shots of the ship never revealed to the public, including its rust-caked bow, intact railings, a chief officer's cabin and a promenade window."
"contains shots of the ship never revealed to the public, including its rust-caked bow, intact railings, a chief officer's cabin and a promenade window," the report adds.
The footage was released by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, the research team is responsible for the discovery of Titanic's remains.
You can watch the footage below. It is likewise available on YouTube.
The Titanic and Its Sinking
A luxury steamship, the Titanic was built by Harland and Wolff at a cost of $7.5 million, according to The Smithsonian. The ship's hull was considered the largest movable man-made object at that point in time, per the History Channel.
The Titanic had a total of 2,240 passengers and crew onboard during its maiden voyage, with most of the passengers belonging to the Third Class. It departed Southampton, England, on April 10, 1912 for New York. Just four days later, it struck an iceberg that was spotted by a lookout at around 11:30 p.m.
While it seemed like the ship did not make direct impact with the iceberg above water, everyone "had no idea that the iceberg had a jagged underwater spur, which slashed a 300-foot gash in the hull below the ship's waterline," according to History Channel.
The Titanic finally sunk beneath the ocean's surface at 2:20 a.m. with only 706 people surviving its sinking. History Channel notes that passengers who were part of the First Class had around a 44% likelihood of surviving than other passengers. Of the 325 First Class passengers onboard, 202 of them survived.
Related Article : The Wreck of the Titanic was Found on This Day in 1985: Here are 5 Interesting Facts About It
The Remains of the Titanic
It has been more than a century since Titanic's sinking and what remains of it has the risk of eventually vanishing, according to NPR. Located around 12,500 feet below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean, the undersea ecosystem has been a problem when it comes to preserving the site.
Human interference has also been an issue as the looting of the wreck has likewise become a problem, which led to an international treaty that forbids the looting and unwanted salvage of the ship.
