Locating A Legend - Dr. Robert Ballard And The RMS Titanic

Rescue efforts

For decades, explorers, bounty hunters, scientists and marine biologists have obsessed about the fate of the Titanic and its lamentable legend. Perhaps our endless interest stems from the sad (and sometimes tragic) tales that have been recounted over the years. Rumours have circulated regarding the amount of valuable assets on board as the passengers were some of the wealthiest people in the world. Nonetheless, expedition teams tried and failed to locate the fatal ship and its buried treasures within. In 1981, a man named Jack Grimm led an expedition team to where he believed the Titanic lay but his calculations were about eight miles off. A further two expeditions were launched but they failed to locate the stricken ship because the sonar equipment they had was not in range. Meanwhile, one Dr. Robert Ballard had been watching in silence and he came up with a plan of his own.

Team Ballard strikes gold

Renowned explorer, Dr. Robert Ballard, had enjoyed a passionate interest in the Titanic wreck ever since he had been a child. He intuitively understood the difficulties in locating and photographing the remains as it lay 2.5 miles down at the bottom of the ocean. At the time, the US Navy were keen to relocate some nuclear subs that had gone missing and they financed Ballard to find them. He had constructed a special underwater camera that could withstand the pressurized depths. He negotiated a deal with them, which included the clause that he could use the remaining time to search for RMS Titanic. Miraculously, in 1985, Ballard stumbled upon the wreck and the first footage of the doomed ship graced our TV screens. To date, nobody can find a way to raise the wreck because of its unstable and rusted condition. Perhaps this is just as well. Those who perished in such appalling conditions should be left to rest in peace.