Journey Down Under
Today, people who want to journey to see the historic ship’s final resting site begin the expedition in St. John’s, Newfoundland, since the wreckage lies in international waters about 370 or 380 miles southeast of the coast there. Passengers embark on a scientific exploration ship called the Akademik Keldysh, which carries two of the world’s five submersibles in the world that are able to reach the depth where the Titanic sits. These two submersibles on the ship are called the MIR I and MIR II (MIR means “Peace” in Russian), and it’s interesting to note that these were also used to film parts of the IMAX movie of the Titanic and to salvage some of the ship’s artifacts that now are housed in museums around the world.
A total of 16 passengers are usually taken on each planned expedition, along with the trained professionals. The group is divided up into smaller groups of three (two paying customers with one professional pilot/guide), who are taken into one of the submersibles (MIR I or MIR II) to visit the wreckage site while the rest of the participants stay behind, until everyone gets one turn.
While the timing of these expeditions can vary, they generally last up to about two weeks.
What To Expect
If you are one of the lucky few who get to participate in this expedition, you need to know what to expect. The submersibles go down about 12,500 feet or 2.5 miles and the journey there and back up can take a total of about 8 hours or more. The exact timing of it varies depending on the weather and water conditions.
When it is time for each small group to venture down under, the submersible will be lowered by crane into the ocean and released to begin descending at a rate of about 100 feet per minute. As you get lower, the color of the water will begin to darken, changing from green to blue to black. (Although it is worth noting that some dives take place at night, so in that case the water will appear black from the start but the time of day or night won’t affect the quality of the dive.)
Usually both submersibles are lowered one after another so they complete the journey is close proximity to one another. This enables them to photograph each other.
It takes each one approximately 2.5 hours to reach the Titanic site, where the ship lies in two gigantic pieces. Once there, the submersibles generally stay for about three or four hours, exploring the wreckage from different angles. The exploration includes viewing the bow area, which is about 400 feet long and is the most intact and also the most impressive section of the Titanic that is left. The stern section is about 330 feet. (There is also about 150 feet of ship that is missing and the pieces of this litter the ocean floor surrounding the stern section.) Passengers will be able to see the bridge and promenade and the area where the ship’s grand staircase had been located. Passengers will also be able to see the artifacts that remain on the ship, but it is important to note that you will not be able to try to salvage anything. This expedition is for research and adventure purposes only.