First Ever 3D Scan Of Titanic Shows Fascinating Never Before Seen Details

First Ever 3D Scan Of Titanic Shows Fascinating Never Before Seen Details Atlantic Productions/Magellan screengrab

The world’s fascination with Titanic has endured throughout the century since it sank to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, and as technology has advanced, so too has our understanding of the ship, its structure and contents, and the people who were aboard. Now, deep-sea researchers have released the first full-size digital 3D scan of Titanic, which has unveiled a new level of detail never before seen.

Researchers spent six weeks in the summer of 2022 aboard two remotely operated submersibles to capture the images. They mapped the shipwreck as well as the surrounding 3-mile debris field. In total, they captured 715,000 images, allowing them to put together the most complete and detailed scan of Titanic ever made.

Anthony Geffen, head of documentary company Atlantic Productions, called the scan “an absolutely one-to-one digital copy, a ‘twin,’ of the Titanic in every detail,” per AP. While previous images were inferior due to lighting levels and limited scope, the new model gives a view of the entire ship at once in extreme detail. Even the serial number on the propeller can be seen.

A documentary based on the making of Titanic’s 3D scan is due for release in 2024, but Geffen adds that he hopes the images his team captured allow a deeper understanding of Titanic by both scientists and the public.

“All our assumptions about how it sank, and a lot of the details of the Titanic, comes from speculation because there is no model that you can reconstruct, or work exact distances,” he said. “I’m excited because this quality of the scan will allow people in the future to walk through the Titanic themselves … and see where the bridge was and everything else.”

Titanic expert Parks Stephenson, who took part in the project, said the new 3D modeling is a “gamechanger” due to the level of detail it provides. “We’ve got actual data that engineers can take to examine the true mechanics behind the breakup and the sinking and thereby get even closer to the true story of Titanic disaster,” he said.

While there have been many Titanic conspiracy theories over the years, such detailed imagery should begin to offer definitive proof of the ship and its ultimately tragic fate.

Jennifer Still is a writer and editor with more than 10 years of experience. The managing editor of Bolde, she has bylines in Vanity Fair, Business Insider, The New York Times, Glamour, Bon Appetit, and many more. You can follow her on Twitter @jenniferlstill
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