PEACHTREE CORNERS, GEORGIA—During a recent 10-day expedition, members of RMS Titanic, Inc., recorded evidence of the continued deterioration of the wreckage of RMS Titanic, the British ocean liner that hit an iceberg and sank in the North Atlantic on April 15, 1912, killing more than 1,500 people, according to a CNN report. A 15-foot section of the previously intact railing around the ship’s upper deck has fallen off, and was spotted on the seafloor. Salt corrosion, metal-eating bacteria, and deep current action are thought to be driving the decomposition of the ship. The team members also photographed a two-foot-tall bronze statue of the Roman goddess Diana in a field of debris. The statue, first photographed at the wreckage site in 1986, had been placed on the fireplace mantle in the ship’s First Class lounge, which was torn open as the ship sank. In all, more than two million photographs of the wreckage were taken over the 10-day period. For more, go to “Archaeology of Titanic.”

The post Expedition Team Returns to RMS Titanic appeared first on Archaeology Magazine.

Source: archaeology.org