Overview
- Robert Ballard’s Franco‑US team located the wreck on September 1, 1985 using a towed camera and a systematic ‘mowing’ search pattern, with a boiler providing the first clear clue.
- The hull was found in two main sections—bow and stern—lying roughly 600 meters apart at about 3,800 meters’ depth.
- Since 1987, RMS Titanic, Inc. has recovered more than 5,500 artifacts that continue to anchor traveling displays and museum exhibitions.
- The site is recognized as UNESCO underwater cultural heritage, and survivor Eva Hart’s long‑standing plea not to disturb what she viewed as a gravesite still shapes the ethics debate.
- In June 2023 the Titan submersible imploded during a dive, killing five, with debris later located by ROVs, and a privately funded acrylic‑hulled submersible is being developed for potential visits as early as 2026, reportedly costing over $20 million.