Footage of Titanic Wreck Discovery Released

The RMS Titanic sank on April 15, 1912, but its wreck remained undiscovered for 73 years until September 1, 1985. A video released by Open Culture shows the moment debris from the Titanic first appeared on the monitor of Argo, an unmanned undersea camera. The discovery was led by oceanographer Robert Ballard, who had sought the wreck since the early 1970s. Ballard's expedition was financed by the U.S. Navy, which tasked him with locating the lost nuclear submarines USS Scorpion and USS Thresher. After finding those wrecks, Ballard and the crew of the R/V Knorr continued to the Titanic's suspected location. They searched for scattered debris rather than intact hull sections, knowing the ship would have imploded under pressure. The strategy succeeded when a trail of debris led to a boiler, confirming the discovery. Ballard later found other famous wrecks including the Bismarck and USS Yorktown.