The 1985 Expedition

On the '85 Titanic expedition, they went to the reported site the Titanic went down, and the Titanic was not where they thought it was. The French ship Le Surouit begin " mowing the lawn" systematically crossing the 150-square-mile largest zone with her search sonar. Le Suroit covers 80 percent of the zone, leaving only 20 percent for the American to search.
September 1, 1985, 1:05 All they have seen so far was mud and miles of endless bland featureless bottom. He had seen a new kind of image. "there's something" he said as he pointed to the screen. A few seconds later, Stu chimed in excitedly " it's coming in! " and then a few seconds later, Bill Longe exclaimed, "wreckage!" . The video cameras aboard the search ship "Argo" picked up one of the Titanicís huge boilers at a depth of 13,000. A bottom profile site modified to project Titanic's actual position shown on the complex terrain. Titanic and her parted stern section in the area of a submarine canyon. A huge undersea landslide in 1929, did not bury the Titanic.

As the images on the video screen grew more and more vivid- large pieces of twisted of hull plating, portholes, a piece of railing turned on it's side. then the mood at the height of the victory celebration of finding the Titanic, our mood suddenly crashed, "Oh my god!" It is approaching 2 a.m. local time, very close to the exact hour of the Titanic's sinking. That was all it took to break our mood. In the short time remaining I plan to get as many pictures of the wreck as possible. I wanted to be able to show the waiting world what the condition the Titanic was in after 73 years on the bottom.The next 24 hours, they mapped the debris field avoiding the main wreckage and getting to know the lay of the land before we went in for a closer look, On September 6, as we steamed for home a helicopter flew out to the Knorr, this was chartered by all three American TV networks.

The 1986 Expedition

In July some 11 months after Ballard discovered the Titanic's resting place he returned aboard " Atlantis II ". By now no won knew where the exact location of the Titanic when she sank. This explains why the Titanic was so hard to locate.
July 13, the first attempt to reach titanic by submarine was planned for this morning. Ballard will ride to the bottom in the research sub "Alvin". The crew compartment of Alvin is 7ft. titanium sphere loaded with equipment. Once launched from "Atlantis II " they are independent, they can communicate with the surface, but they are so far from help they might as well be on the moon. To conserve energy Alvin will plunge to the bottom as fast as gravity allows. This plunge to the bottom will take 2 1/2 hours. As soon the Titanic is found the dive must be abandoned. It would take another 2 1/2 hours to regain the surface. Ballard said " We had problems with the submarine, had to abort the dive and head up" . Alvin is has returned and everything has gone as planned.

Titanic no longer lost, no longer legend, there are people aboard the Titanic once again after 74 dark and silent years. Once there they are finding out something new each second. A disappointment the Titanic's decks thought to be interacted were consumed by wood boring organisms. The decks what appeared to be planks, were ridges of caulking. The ship was covered veins of rust as it looks like it was bleeding. On the return trip to the surface, a near disaster the submarine Jason was dislodged from his garage on the front of Alvin and almost lost. Quick work by divers saves the million dollar robot. Titanic is a frightening place to explore, everywhere there are rails, wires, tubing that could trap Alvin. Jason could venture closer and inside the wreck. Ballard intends to send Jason into the Titanic on his next dive. On the third dive Alvin makes a landing at the edge of Titanic's Grand Staircase. Now they send Jason into the staircase. 74 years have taken their toll. There is nothing recognizable where the Grand Staircase once was, but pillars define the room. The ornamental clock on the wall is gone just leaving its outline on the wall. Some parts of the Titanic look almost new, handles and hinges still turn. The Titanic's awesome steel anchor still hangs from Titanic's bow. Ballard and Dr. Elazar Uchupi, begin to make a detailed map of remains. It reveals new information and counteracts some accepted accounts of the disaster. Most Strikingly, the ship lies in 2 major parts 1,800 feet apart. That supports the fact that the ship broke into 2 parts as it went down. In between the two sections of the wreck is a vast section of debris. Ballard brought nothing up from the wreck and vowed not to not to interfere with the wreck. As the wreck is explored, the Titanic story is reveled, and in some cases revised to suit new evidence. When the Titanic Expedition ended, Ballard left behind a place honoring those who died here. Titanic is their monument more than 2 miles beneath the sea.

The 1991 Expedition

The Titanic expedition led by the Canadian-Russian team. For this expedition they were transported aboard the Institute's flag ship the 442-foot "Akademik" Mistislav Keldysh. This expedition cost about $7 million. The Expedition lasted from June 30 to July 17, doing 17 dives, each averaging 18 hours start to finish. Eleven dives concentrated on the forward section, six on the stern. A total of 20 men spent 139 on the bottom, 40,000 feet of IMAX film was shot. The Canadian-Russian scientists collected numerous samples, specimens and sediment cores. Although many " Treasures" were seen they remained on the bottom. Released in 1991, the motion picture "Titanica" contains the most spectacular underwater footage yet taken of the Titanic wreck. The filming requires high intensity but board lighting; the lights had to with stand pressures exceeding 6000 pounds per square inch. Each illumination consisted of four lamps equivalent to about 150,000 watts, of incandescent light, penetrating 50 to 75 feet through the sea bottom. This lit an area eight to ten feet.

The 1993 Expedition

In the '93 Titanic expedition , by the RMS TITANIC. INC, led by George Tulloch and Arnie Geller. On this expedition they will make 15 dives in 15 days and recover 800 artifacts to add to those already retrieved. To reach the Titanic They will use the bright yellow submersible Natile. Each dive lasted from eight to twelve hours start to finish, including the 90 to 100 down and equal tine coming up. Variation in bottom time depends on whether a dive was observation or artifact retrieval: observation dives are longer, Retrieval dives depends on how many objects were in the vehicles low-mounted collection basket.Our plot takes us across the well deck, The yawning hatch opening offering an incredible views through multiple decks, all now move heavily covered in that red-orange rust than photographed in 1986 and 1987 Robin is dispatched down the bunker hatch and the number one and two holds, seeking evidence of iceberg damage and goes further into the ship. We have had about 7 hours on the bottom. one last around the forward well deck 30-to-40 foot altitude, Then, away! Up! Up!

The 1994 Expedition

In the 1994 Titanic Expedition the, TITANIC INC. led by George Tolloch returned to the Titanic. The team will plan to explore the ruined liner and recover some of her lost treasures. The expedition leader George Tolloch is determined to uncover the remaining secrets of the Titanic. On the dive the decent down takes two hours, they will spend eight hours exploring the wreck, and 2 hours back to the surface. Experts thought the Titanic would be in good condition at these oxygen less depths, but the ship has lost much of its wood. Now it is time to recover the artifacts, they lowered the basket to recover the artifacts. George's company R M S TITANIC INC. fought a long legal battle for the rights to salvage the wreck. Each dive costs $100,000 ($5.00 a second.) At the surface they unload the artifacts they recovered from the Titanic's debris field. Among the artifacts they recovered they brought up some of Titanic's coal. They vowed that they would not sell the artifacts but souvenir lump of Titanic's coal would generate thousands. Before the expedition ends they wanted to bring up a large piece of the ship weighing several tons. The artifacts recovered her will go on show around the world, but yet the Titanic did not give up all her secrets.

The 1996 Expedition

This expedition to the Titanic is to view the wreck and to raise the hull piece. This expedition would last from August 1st to 30th. George Tulloch is the expedition leader. Tulloch company RMS Titanic is responsible for the conserving the historic ocean liner, which is rapidly decaying. By preserving a piece of her hull he hopes to keep the memory of the Titanic alive. Diving to the Titanic may be a dream, but it can turn into a nightmare if something would go wrong. The Natile is unhooked from its teathered lines, now she is free of her mother ship. If the Natile gets into trouble there is little that could be done from the surface.The Nautile begins its 2 hour decent to the bottom. Near the stern, the Nautile approaches the hull piece. In order to raise this artifact, its weight must be guaged. the first step is to accurately measure the piece. The hull piece that they are trying to raise came from the Starboard side of C deck, cabins C79, C81, . The plan to raise the hull piece, first; the piece will be attached to towing lines, the lines will be attached lift bags. The lift bags will rise through the water and carry the piece to the surface. The lift bags will be filled with 5,000 gallons of deisel feul. Deisel is lighter than water. The lift bags arrive on the bottom. They take the ropes and tie it to the hull piece. Rigging the piece will take several days. Each day before resurfaceing they look over the debris field looking for new artifacts.The ship Ocean Voyager arrives, she is carring 4 state-of-the-art light towers, which will be placed on the bow of the Titanic. With the light tower Scientists and enginers have a new research tool. Never before has so much light been cast on Titanic. The light tower casts more light than 35,000 house hold bulbs. when at the Titanic the lights are in place and turened on. People only saw pieces of the ship, now they can see a larger section of the ship. The lights proven to be a great sucess. Now all attention is focused on the hull piece. It is time for the piece to be raised. All the lift bags are attached to the hull piece. As the teams work they make an alarming diccovery. "It is not good News". The hull piece is curved. If the piece would be brought straight up it would break in the middle. Things go from bad to worst, the largest lift bag is missing. Back on the ship Ocean Voyager they are raising the lights to recharge the battery, then suddenly one of the lights plumits to the bottom of the ocean. The hull piece is disloged from the ocean bottom and begins to rise.. As the lift bags begin to break the surface the hull piece dangles 200 feet below just out of reach. Just on the horizon, a new threat is looming. Hurricane Edward is taking aim on the north Atlantic. Violent seas now twist and pull at the lift bags. All hands work to hold on to the Titanic. Ropes snap one be one, the hull piece is seriously close to dropping to the bottom. Late that night the sea reclaims Titanic, ten miles from the spot where she was first retreived.