Titanic: Recovered jewels described by expert in 2012

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It has been more than a century since the British passenger liner famously sank after hitting an iceberg shortly before midnight on April 14, 1912. The devastating event saw more than 1,500 people lose their lives, but its wreck was not discovered until 1985 during an expedition sponsored by the US Navy. The ship was found split in two by underwater archaeologist Robert Ballard after his top secret reconnaissance of the wreckage of two nuclear-powered attack submarines, the USS Scorpion and the USS Thresher.

But Channel 4’s ‘Titanic: Into the Heart of the Wreck’ detailed how, using a deep-sea underwater robot craft called ‘Argo,’ Mr Ballard uncovered the “apocalyptic” scenes around Titanic.

The narrator said: “During his expedition, explorer Robert Ballard found himself overcome with emotion.

“As he glided over the field of debris around the wreck, he discovered a multitude of small objects and personal belongings scattered over the ocean floor.

“It brought home the magnitude of lives lost.”

Speaking during the documentary, Mr Ballard detailed the horrific scenes that unfolded before his eyes.

He added: “All that was left of human signature were their shoes – all around the Titanic are pairs of shoes.

“These are the tombstones and I was not expecting to be hit by them.

“I went in there totally under control, so to speak, and I was blown away.

“It was a very moving experience that I did not expect to happen.”

The series went on to explain how the passengers’ personal belongings are a reminder of the scale of the disaster and lives lost.

It added: “A vast field of objects stretched out before Ballard’s eyes.

“Hundreds of thousands of items are spread over less than two kilometres from the ship’s prow and stern.

“The jumble of passengers’ personal belongings mixed with giant pieces of machinery bear witness to the violence and tragedy of the wreck.

“A portion of the debris field is nicknamed Hell’s Kitchen, due to the many cooking utensils spewed about.

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“Sections of the hull lay all around.

“Deeply moved by this apocalyptic site, Ballard vowed to preserve the wreck as a shrine to the lives lost.”

Since its initial discovery, the wreck of Titanic has been revisited on numerous occasions by explorers, scientists, filmmakers, tourists and salvagers, who have recovered thousands of items from the debris field for conservation and public display.

The ship’s condition has deteriorated significantly over the years, mostly because of an accelerating rate of growth of iron-eating bacteria on the hull.

Many artefacts from Titanic have been recovered from the seabed by RMS Titanic Inc, which exhibits them around the world and in a permanent display at the Luxor Las Vegas hotel and casino.

The wreck of the Titanic falls under the 2001 UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage.

This means that all states party to the convention will prohibit the pillaging, commercial exploitation, sale and dispersion of the wreck and its artefacts.

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