Underwater World Journal | To the safes of "Titanic"

To the safes of "Titanic"

Sunday, October 15, 2006 | Posted to Treasures underwater

According to evidences of survived passengers of first and second class and data leak hitting press, on “Titanic” board where contained a lot of treasures.

Our recommendations

Secrets of the Titanic (DVD)

Ghosts of the Abyss Book

Ghosts of the Abyss (DVD)

Calculation made by shipyard managing director Andrews, where “Titanic” was built, “cost” of liner passenger among which where collectors, millionaires and just very solvent people, accounts 250 billions dollars. This passenger where transporting antique pictures, things, diamonds and gold.

Of course, pictures and priceless manuscript of Omar Hayam “Rubai”, very rare and in excellent condition mummy of Egyptian prophetess of pharaoh Amenhotep I (it belonged to archeologist Lord Centerville) – all this irretrievably perished in marine abyss, but gold bars, diamonds and jewelry no doubt are locked in “Titanic” safes and cabins.

“Titanic” was discovered in 1989 in Atlantics, on depth 3750 meters by famous diver Dr. Robert Ballard. After that two scientist expeditions – French-American and Russian – have been investigating on sunken place.

Special document specified that nothing of “Titanic” property would not taken by those expeditions back to surface. That’s why even rubber doll after being photographed was carefully placed back. Members of expeditions religiously followed this command, although sometime they found unique objects. For example in one of crushed cabins divers found gold candlestick. It was also returned to “Titanic”.

Main purpose of this diving attempts where investigations of wreck site and nature of ship hull destruction. As was found, hull of a liner broke – it stern body with no breach and with giant air cushion felt of and sunked much later, separately from fore body.

United States submarine mini-robot “Jason” carefully penetrated inner quarters of “Titanic” and made several hundreds of photographs. There still remain a lot of crystal cut-glass chandeliers under ceiling, pillars once trimmed with expensive sorts of wood, front staircase, first class cabins with porcelain baths; bottles of champagne wine, Chinese sets marked with emblem of famous ocean-liner line “White star” with a star inside red triangle desired by huge army of antique collectors. Also was found an ancient bronze Greece sculpture of Diana which was a property of Margaret Brown, millionaire from Denver, who transported rare things found in different countries. She taken command on one of life-boats and ordered to throw everything overboard.

However second French expedition received permission to extract some items from cabins and to deliver them on the surface. Evidently it can be explained by some interesting arguments of Frenchman, convinced lawyers extract from ocean floor not only scientific data but item possess legal importance.

For example on investigation and in court discussed conditions of “Titanic” wreck, some passengers asserted that while “Titanic” was going down, individual crew members where looting personal safes in ship cabins. This was serious charge and shall be investigated in detail.

Indeed, “Jason” succeeded to inspect some service rooms and passenger cabins, including those which witnessed to be robbed. Using robot manipulators operator of “Jason” managed to turn safe handle, meaning that safe was opened lately, but vestured with thick coating of rust it resisted to open.

Captain Edward J. Smith's cabin window hangs open.

But about safes contained in service rooms and in captain’s Smith cabin, the press was told nothing. It is known that Frenchman managed to lift up to surface 1412 items, given partly to museums and private collections to be sold from auction for big money, and some items where returned to previous owners. Alas only few of them still alive to nowadays.

Russian expedition from Institute of Oceanology provided with deep underwater inhabited vehicle “MIR” together with Canadian company “SHAH” and American company “Ocean Image” and US National Geographic Society accomplished seventeen deep-water immersions on “Titanic” wreck site.

“MIR” managed to film unique movie about sunken ocean-liner and received a highest mark through out professionals and is researched till today.

According to reports “Titanic” deeply pierced into bottom silt. Ship fore body, where should be found huge 95 meters wide wound from iceberg that ruined the ocean-liner, buried too deep into ground because of enormous hull weight. This unfavorable circumstances do not allowed investigating hull breach. Researchers only succeeded to determine that right board plating was heavily pressed inward and along shipboard cracked rivets.

Sensational was a fact that after close look on movie and photographs some experts claimed iceberg only squeezed ship plating! Next question to evolved from this statement – what caused wreck of the “Titanic”? Maybe it can be answered by future expeditions.

“Titanic” and its safes and buried treasures evidently doomed to lay in oceanic bottom for a very long time. Today is afraid that sooner or later it cabins will be reached by amateur divers. In next few years they will be able to build deep-water vehicles and unique searching electronic equipment. And depth of 3750 meters will not prevent them from robbing a ship wreck.

Bow railing of the Titanic illuminated by the Mir 1

As for further destiny of “Titanic” there are already project which propose to make from its remains international museums. Even today we can hold on it numerous tests about corrosion laws of different metals and ecology investigations. Maybe in next ten years will be possible to go on tourist journey to “Titanic” wreck site on board of deep-water vehicles?

Underwater World Journal - To the safes of "Titanic"

To the safes of "Titanic"