Titanic unveiled anew: 3D scans reveal tragedy in sharp detail
It's been over 100 years since the sinking of the Titanic, yet scientists remain captivated by the tragedy of one of the world's largest ships. According to The Mirror, they have recently succeeded in creating scans with "cinematic sharpness" to enhance understanding of the disaster. The portal also revisits Captain Smith's final words and actions, which are not widely known.
New, detailed 3D scans of the Titanic wreck, created from over 700,000 photos taken by underwater robots, allow for a comprehensive examination of the damage the ship suffered after hitting the iceberg on April 14, 1912. Experts can better comprehend how the ship broke into two parts and the resulting consequences. Britain's The Mirror reports the creation of the scans.
The portal explains that the scans reveal the Titanic wreck in a new light. The twisted steel and exposed interiors are visible. The photos are said to have "cinematic sharpness" and capture the drama of the people who died in the disaster. It was scanned with such high precision for the first time. Captain Edward John Smith, the Titanic's commanding officer, was among the victims. This was to be his last voyage before retirement.
In the famous film about the disaster, he is depicted as tightly gripping the helm as water rushes into his room. Others assert that his final act was placing a child into a lifeboat.
He did all a man could do. He was brave to the last. He stood on the bridge and waved goodbye - said the survivor Robert Williams Daniel, quoted by The Mirror.
According to survivors, his last words were "Be British," intended as a calm command in the chaos. The captain assisted passengers, especially women and children, to the end and refused to abandon his post. One steward recalled seeing Smith as the Atlantic engulfed him. Another claimed he returned to the wheelhouse and stood at attention until the end. After giving the final order to abandon ship, he is also said to have uttered the words required by protocol.
The Titanic lies nearly 4 kilometres under the surface of the Atlantic Ocean. Visibility is limited, and traditional submarines could only capture small parts of the wreck—the scanning project aimed to create a "digital twin" and facilitate examination of the ship. Of the 2,200 people on board, as many as 1,500 perished.
National Geographic and Atlantic Productions conducted the project to scan the wreck. "It's like a crime scene: you need to see what the evidence is, in the context of where it is. And having a comprehensive view of the entirety of the wreck site is key to understanding what happened here," quotes The Mirror of Titanic analyst Parks Stephenson.
