Titanic Wreck Location
When Dr. Robert Ballard discovered the
wreck of Titanic in
1985, the position and state of the wreck were no longer open to guesses
and conjecture; the truth was now known, and only a few days after the discovery
of the wreck, Robert Ballard held a press conference at Woods
Hole Oceanographic Institute to tell the world's press about his team's amazing
discovery - Titanic - and where she now lay.
He briefly outlined the wreck to the hushed room;
"The Titanic lies in 13,000 feet of water on a gently sloping alpine-like countryside overlooking a small canyon below. Its bow faces north and the ship sits upright on the bottom. There is no light at this great depth and little life can be found. It is a quiet and peaceful and fitting place for the remains of this greatest of sea tragedies to rest. May it forever remain that way and may God bless these found souls." - Dr. Robert Ballard, 9th September 1985
Titanic's final reported position on the night of the sinking was
41°46' N, 50° 14' W, however, once the wreck had been discovered,
this position was proven to be out by a margin of approximately 13.5 miles,
which was one of the main reasons previous expeditions by the likes of Jack Grimm had failed to find
the wreck.
| TT |
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Titanic's route
is shown here, starting in Southampton,
across the English Channel to Cherbourg,
then around England's west coast and across to Queenstown, Ireland.
Her course across the North Atlantic to New York ended in disaster,
about 450 miles short of her destination. |
Location of Titanic's bow section
49° 56' 49" W, 41° 43' 57" NLocation of Titanic's stern section
49° 56' 54" W, 41° 43' 35" NLocation of Titanic's heavier wreckage
49° 56' 49" W, 41° 43' 32" NDepth to Titanic's wreck - 12,600ft
The bow and stern sections lie approximately 600ft apart, and because of the planing actions both parts probably underwent during their descent, their respective positions on the seabed are not likely to be directly below where Titanic foundered. However, Titanic's larger items of debris, such as boilers that broke free during the split, are much more likely to have dropped straight down to the seabed like the proverbial rock, so it's reasonable to make the assumption that Titanic foundered at
49° 56' 49" W, 41° 43' 32" N Google Earth
Related Reading: Titanic's Big Piece
