Scientists say "Wreck will Collapse in 14 Years"

[Aaron_2016]

Local newspapers are reporting that the wreck of the Titanic will collapse in 14 years due to a bacteria that has evolved and increased the rate of decay in the wreck.


Belfast news link:

Titanic wreck 'will dissolve in 14 years' - BelfastTelegraph.co.uk



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[Doug Criner]

The article says the wreck will "dissolve completely." I wonder how they came up with precisely 14 years? Of course the hull is steel, but there were other materials of construction: e.g., bronze (propellers), brass, cast iron, asbestos, glass, various steel alloys, etc. It seems likely that various materials would have different rates of dissolving.

A few years ago, I saw the "big chunk," or whatever it's called, on display in Chicago. By that time, the piece had been submerged for 85 years or so? I don't remember the piece being all that badly deteriorated. But, maybe that was before the evolution of the newly discovered bacteria that is now at work.

 

[Aaron_2016]

Salvagers are not allowed to recover any items from inside the wreck, but if the hull collapses does that mean they can recover everything they find? There will probably be a large project in a few years to map out and recover as much as possible. e.g. Put a beacon in various rooms with items they want to recover, and once the wreck has collapsed they just have to track the beacon to find the remains of the desired rooms with hopefully the artefacts still inside. Wonder if they already know which items they want and which are their priority i.e. most valuable or having historical significance.


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[Rob Lawes]

If the wreck is on it's final voyage into dust, I would be trying get into the forward end of the hull as low down as possible. I'd be knocking holes in the side and trying to get into areas such as boiler room six and five. These areas have never been accessed by underwater cameras and if there is little time left then it doesn't matter too much how much mess is made getting in there.

 

[Aither_2017]

Robert Ballard, the guy who was a key factor in the discovery of the wreck, said a few years back " We are going to preserve the titanic." He proposed to paint the titanic wreck in anti-fouling paint. They never thought the Titanic would ever sink, so they never put anti-fouling paint much above the waterline. But the anti-fouling paint on the red part of the hull is still in effect and the steel is stronger there. Hopefully we can prevent the collapse of the wreck. I know it sounds mean and ignorant to the people who perished on that ship, but we can't let an important historic sight rot. We would want to preserve the wonderful ship for future generations to appreciate.