"Mom and Baby Shoes Intact" Titanic Underwater Footage Released After 37 Years

Remote Underwater Robot Moves In and Out of Ship for Filming
Chandeliers and Other Sculptures Remain Intact

Unreleased footage capturing the initial discovery of the Titanic, which sank in 1912, has been released.

On the 15th (local time), according to AP News and others, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) released an 81-minute and 55-second video on its YouTube channel, filmed during an underwater exploration of the Titanic wreck site in 1986.

WHOI began exploring the Titanic in cooperation with the French National Institute for Oceanographic Research in 1985, discovering the wreck in September of that year. The following July, WHOI descended to the site using submersibles to conduct underwater filming. The footage is said to have been captured by a remotely operated underwater robot moving in and out of the ship.

Titanic ship appearance [Source=Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution]

The newly released footage shows the return on September 1, 1986. In the video, the Titanic is covered with rust and seaweed. Structures such as the deck railings and cabin windows remain intact, and a chandelier-like object is hanging from the ceiling.

Robert Ballard, the explorer, recalled, "When we first discovered it, I was amazed by the enormous size of the Titanic," adding, "The memory is still vivid."

He also said, "We did not find any bones of the deceased, but we found shoes that appeared to belong to a mother and child. There were many such shoes," adding, "The appearance of those shoes was like tombstones under the sea."

Titanic ship appearance [Source=Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution]

The Titanic departed from Southampton, England, heading to New York, USA. On the early morning of April 15, 1912, it struck an iceberg and sank. At that time, lifeboats were severely insufficient compared to the number of passengers, resulting in the loss of about 1,500 lives.

Meanwhile, this footage was released to mark the 25th anniversary of the movie Titanic. James Cameron's Titanic was remastered and re-released on the 8th to celebrate its 25th anniversary. Just four days after the re-release, on the 12th, it earned $2,640,893 (approximately 3.398 billion KRW) in South Korea alone, continuing its box office success.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.