New Titanic images show famous ship continues to decay as railing falls to seafloor

The ship is rapidly being lost to the sea in the depths of the Atlantic Ocean as salt water and microbes eat away at the metal structure.

The Titanic, which was built in Belfast, sank on its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York after hitting an iceberg in 1912. Almost 1,500 people died in the tragedy.

Carried out by RMS Titanic Inc, the expedition revealed the railing is almost 15ft long and it is believed to have fallen in the last two years.

The RMS Titanic Inc expedition took place over July and August.

Two remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) captured more than two million images and 24 hours of high definition footage of both the wreck, which split apart as it sank with the bow and stern lying about 800m apart, and the debris field surrounding it.

Speaking on RTE Radio 1’s Today With Claire Byrne on Monday, deep sea diver and advisor on the latest Titanic dive Rory Golden, said it was a “shock” to the team when they discovered the railing lying on the seabed.

“The railing section that has fallen was quite a shock to us,” he said.

“Two years ago when I was out there we had seen the railing itself was moving a bit but we didn’t think that it would have collapsed in that short period of time.

“The railing section that has gone is lying on the seabed just beside the bow section.

“That railing is about 15ft long and was actually meant to be removed originally to facilitate the huge anchor.

“It’s called the Hingley anchor, a 15-tonne anchor – that’s sitting in a little deck area beside a small crane that would have lifted it and swung it over the side [of the Titanic].

“It was removable but sadly after 112 years, it’s now fallen to the seabed. That is essentially nature just taking its course.”

The team also discovered a bronze statue called the Diana of Versailles lying face up in the debris field on the seabed.

The 60cm-tall statue was once on display for the Titanic’s first-class passengers.