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Rare video footage showing the wreck of the Titanic ocean liner on the floor of the Atlantic has been released more than a century after the ship hit an iceberg and sunk.
Shot by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) just months after explorers found the wreckage in 1985, the emotive clips feature images of the ship, including its famous bow section, deck and equipment.
Captured about two miles (three kilometers) below the ocean’s surface, the 80-minute video of uncut footage, most of which had not been previously released to the public, shows the interior of the ship, as well as marine life swimming around it.
While several efforts were made to find the Titanic after the ship sunk during its maiden voyage, it wasn’t until September 1985 that a team led by Robert Ballard in partnership with Institut français de recherche pour l’exploitation de la mer (IFEMER) were finally able to discover the wreckage.
“By 1985, WHOI had developed new imaging technology, including Argo, a camera sled that was towed from the research vessel Knorr and captured the first photographs of the ship beneath more than 12,400 feet of water,” reads a press release from WHOI.
The following year, a team from the WHOI made the first trip to view the sunken vessel by using a three-person submersible named Alvin and the newly developed remotely operated vehicle Jason Jr. This newly released footage showcases the 1986 expedition.
Its release “marks the first time humans set eyes on the ill-fated ship since 1912 and includes many other iconic scenes,” the WHOI adds.
The Titanic, thought to be nearly impregnable when it was built, was the largest ocean liner in service at the time. It struck an iceberg on April 14, 1912, in the Atlantic as it made its maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York. More than 1,500 people died in the sinking, shocking the world and prompting outrage over a lack of lifeboats on board.
A team from WHOI and the French National Institute of Oceanography found the sunken ship broken in two pieces southeast of Canada’s Newfoundland on Sept. 1, 1985.
During 11 dives in July 1986, footage was shot by cameras on a human-occupied submersible and a small remotely operated vessel that maneuvered through tight spaces.
The unveiling of this particular footage has been timed with the re-release of director James Cameron’s 1997 film “Titanic” on its 25th anniversary. The movie won 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
“More than a century after the loss of Titanic, the human stories embodied in the great ship continue to resonate,” Cameron said in the release.
“Like many, I was transfixed when Alvin and Jason Jr. ventured down to and inside the wreck. By releasing this footage, WHOI is helping tell an important part of a story that spans generations and circles the globe.”