Anniversary of Titanic discovery: Everything to know about the dive site
Sunday marked the anniversary of the discovery of the site of Titanic’s wreckage at the bottom of the ocean floor.
The famous RMS Titanic sank in 1912, but the wreckage wasn’t discovered until nearly 75 years later, on Sept. 1, 1985.
A submersible that imploded in the North Atlantic while taking five people down to the Titanic last summer renewed interest in the famous shipwreck, as well as prompted questions regarding what it takes to reach the site 2.5 miles below the ocean’s surface.
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Here is everything to know about the famous ship’s dive site:
What happened to the Titanic?
The ocean liner Titanic struck an iceberg and sank in April 1912, killing all but about 700 of the roughly 2,200 passengers and crew.
Since the wreckage’s discovery in 1985, it has been slowly succumbing to metal-eating bacteria. Some have predicted the ship could vanish in a matter of decades as holes yawn in the hull and sections disintegrate.
Where is the Titanic wreck?
The Titanic wreck site is located 963 miles northeast of New York and 453 miles southeast of the Newfoundland coastline, sitting 12,000 feet below sea level.
How many people have visited the Titanic wreckage site?
Fewer than 250 people in the world have personally viewed the Titanic wreckage.
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FILE - People look at a large-scale 360 degree panorama presentation of the Titanic shipwreck by artist Yadegar Asisi during a press preview on January 27, 2017 in Leipzig, Germany. (Photo by Jens Schlueter/Getty Images)
James Cameron Titanic dive
Filmmaker James Cameron is also a deep-sea explorer and has a well-known affinity for the doomed ship.
He famously made the 1997 film "Titanic," which became the highest-grossing film in history at the time, as well as earning 11 Academy Awards.
His interest in shipwrecks served as a motivation to make the film.
"I made Titanic because I wanted to dive to the shipwreck, not because I particularly wanted to make the movie," Cameron told Playboy Magazine in 2010. "The Titanic was the Mount Everest of shipwrecks, and as a diver I wanted to do it right."
Cameron made several submersible dives to the wreck itself prior to the movie’s release. He later formed Earthship Productions to make documentary films about ocean exploration and conservation.
In total, he has done 33 dives to the Titanic wreckage site since the film’s release, according to National Geographic.