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titanic100

The ocean floor pics that show how the Titanic sank

New images show how the exact break-up of the Titanic might now be understood – and whether the ship had a fatal design flaw.
4.52pm, 9 Mar 2012
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AN EXPEDITION TEAM which scanned the floor of the ocean where the Titanic sunk in 1912 have discovered more information about how the ship sunk to the bottom.

A series of photographs stitched together on a computer have provided a detailed photo mosaic of the debris left by the ship – and of the marks left on the ocean floor by the landing parts of the liner.

An article from Associated Press yesterday explained how the photos showed that “the stern rotated like a helicopter blade as the ship sank, rather than plunging down”. This is the first time that the extensive Titanic sinking site has been fully mapped and researchers hope it means that they will discover if there was a major flaw in its design by uncovering how exactly it broke apart and descended to the ocean floor.

We have obtained these photographs from AP today which map the site:

The ocean floor pics that show how the Titanic sank
1 / 4

  • Titanic Map

    This composite image, released by RMS Titanic Inc., and made from sonar and more than 100,000 photos taken in 2010 from by unmanned, underwater robots, shows a portion of a comprehensive map of the 3-by-5-mile debris field surrounding the bow and stern of the Titanic on the bottom of the North Atlantic Ocean. The luxury passenger liner sank about 375 miles south of Newfoundland, Canada, after striking an iceberg on its maiden voyage from England to New York on April 15, 1912, killing 1,517 people. (AP Photo/RMS Titanic Inc.)

  • Titanic Map

    This image shows the extensive area over which debris from the ship was scattered. (AP Photo/RMS Titanic Inc.)

  • Titanic Map

    This composite image, released by RMS Titanic Inc., and made from sonar and more than 100,000 photos taken in 2010 from by unmanned, underwater robots, shows a small portion of a comprehensive map of the 3-by-5-mile debris field surrounding the bow of the Titanic on the bottom of the North Atlantic Ocean. The luxury passenger liner sank about 375 miles south of Newfoundland, Canada, after striking an iceberg on its maiden voyage from England to New York on April 15, 1912, killing more than 1,500 people. (AP Photo/RMS Titanic Inc.)

  • Titanic Map

    This composite image shows zig-zag marks on the ocean floor which indicate how the debris settled as if the ship had spun down through the water rather than descending in a straight line as was previously thought. (AP Photo/RMS Titanic Inc.)
  • This composite image, released by RMS Titanic Inc., and made from sonar and more than 100,000 photos taken in 2010 from by unmanned, underwater robots, shows a portion of a comprehensive map of the 3-by-5-mile debris field surrounding the bow and stern of the Titanic on the bottom of the North Atlantic Ocean. The luxury passenger liner sank about 375 miles south of Newfoundland, Canada, after striking an iceberg on its maiden voyage from England to New York on April 15, 1912, killing 1,517 people. (AP Photo/RMS Titanic Inc.)
  • This image shows the extensive area over which debris from the ship was scattered. (AP Photo/RMS Titanic Inc.)
  • This composite image, released by RMS Titanic Inc., and made from sonar and more than 100,000 photos taken in 2010 from by unmanned, underwater robots, shows a small portion of a comprehensive map of the 3-by-5-mile debris field surrounding the bow of the Titanic on the bottom of the North Atlantic Ocean. The luxury passenger liner sank about 375 miles south of Newfoundland, Canada, after striking an iceberg on its maiden voyage from England to New York on April 15, 1912, killing more than 1,500 people. (AP Photo/RMS Titanic Inc.)
  • This composite image shows zig-zag marks on the ocean floor which indicate how the debris settled as if the ship had spun down through the water rather than descending in a straight line as was previously thought. (AP Photo/RMS Titanic Inc.)

Researchers finish first complete map of Titanic debris site>
Archives show human tragedy and truth behind Titanic sinking>
Letter in a bottle from Irish Titanic victim goes on display>

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