Over a year after a submersible imploded in the Atlantic Ocean on its way to the Titanic wreck site, another company plans to send another device to the bottom of the ocean, but this time without humans inside.
RMS Titanic Inc. plans to launch its first mission to the Titanic in 14 years. The company says it will use "cutting-edge technology" to survey the wreck site and debris field. The company also plans to identify at-risk artifacts for recovery in future expeditions.
The company plans to launch this expedition later this month.
James Penca, RMS Titanic Inc. spokesperson, said even though researchers have visited the site in the past, there is a lot of info that can be gained by a new expedition to the site.
"Fourteen years is a long time and there are new cameras, there are new scanners, there is new technology that can show us more of Titanic and so we hope to learn a whole lot in the coming weeks," he said.
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Penca said the Titanic continues to tell its story more than 112 years after the ship crashed into an iceberg, killing over 1,500 people.
"Titanic has romance, it has heroism, villains, it has so many facets to it and if you're not interested in the history, now we have diving, we have science," he said. "If you're an explorer, the Titanic just brings out something in absolutely everybody. It brings out a story for you to tell your parents, your friends, that's why we're all still here talking about it."
Penca is well aware of the risks posed by exploring the site. A year ago, four people lost their lives when the Titan submersible imploded during its expedition to the Titanic. Penca said going to the Titanic site is as risky as going to any other shipwreck on the bottom of the ocean.
"Something that people don't really understand is that diving to the depths of Titanic has been something we've been doing for decades and decades," he said. "It's a relatively safe thing to be doing. We haven't run into any problems in the past."