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Online article
'Diving the Titanic' ~ A Day to
Remember Part 2
<<
back to part 1
| Now it was our turn, big smiles and handshakes
all around as we go through the final safety briefs. Our pilot
was to be Eugeny Chernyaev or ‘Genya’, one of the
most experienced submersible pilots in the world with over 200
on Titanic alone. In side the tiny sphere Genya closed the hatch.
No turning back now, not that we wanted to, neither of us knew
the Russian for ‘I’ve changed my mind’ anyway. |
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| AT 10.13am on June 29th, 2003 one of the most
memorable dives of our lives began. As the sub hit the water,
I could visualize the ‘Cowboy’ outside jumping onto
the sub to release the winch cable. A nice job in calm seas
but when it is rough these fearless Russians have all the skill
of a rodeo rider and are often completely submerged while trying
to connect and disconnect the MIR. This release ritual by the
‘Cowboys’ is dramatically filmed in Cameron’s
new 3D Titanic movie ‘Ghosts of the Abyss’. At 100m
the light goes out, we are falling at 30m/minute. In four minutes
I have passed the deepest depth I have dived in the sea. 10.52
and 1000m down, the water temperature has dropped to 4.2 degrees.
Looking out of the 20cm thick acrylic window I can see phosphorescent
plankton shooting by like tiny rockets. At 2000m the temperature
is 3.1 degrees and the outside pressure 200 bar. Radio communication
to the surface sounds just like an Apollo mission with multiple
acoustic echoes. At 12.25 the echo sounder shows 100m to go
as we start to correct our descent, condensation drips from
the inside of the sub and I’m sure both of us have sneaked
a secret glance at the hatch by now. |
| Genya seems unconcerned. 12.29, a
flat silty bottom comes into view, pure white brittle stars
litter the seabed. MIR 1 is also down and making her way to
the Titanic. The mid ocean currents have pushed us 1km away
from the wreck. Genya explains calmly that the navigation system
has crashed, we are temporarily blind, 3780m down. This was
beginning to feel like Hollywood! Finally the transponders come
on line and we slowly make our way to the wreck. Carl and I
are glued to a view port each.Titanics’ bow hooves into
view, MIR 1 is shrouding the forecastle in light, I have dived
hundreds of wrecks but watching the ‘MIR ballet’
make this even more special.Both subs glide within a meter of
each other as we go about our separate missions. Titanic is
broken in two just aft of number 3 funnel right between the
boilers and the engines. The stern is 600m away. |
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| The bridge structure is gone and the telemotor
stands alone almost as a memorial. Titanic is alive and slowly
being eaten. At this depth colonies of microbes which in shallower
water have too much competition are dominant. |
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Titanic is covered in rusty icicles or ‘rusticle's’.
Initially thought to be massive chemical decay they have proved
to be microbe colonies, which are slowly eating the ship. The
microbes are a complete science in themselves, which is why
several science researchers come to the site. They have anti-bacterial
properties, environmental applications (such as clearing up
oil slicks) and can even produce usable energy. After several
hours cruising the bow we glide to the stern. The debris field
is littered with reminders of the human interaction with the
ship, shoes, plates all perfectly preserved. |
The stern is smashed, debris everywhere, the main engines
tower four stories high, the only recognizable feature. Piloting
the MIR between the engines we attempt to locate a watertight
door. Having never seen one we wanted to visually identify
it before attempting swimming penetrations to locate them
on Britannic. Moving between the leviathan engines is like
going through a portal guarded by two massive Sphinxes. MIR
2 starts to collide with wreckage and we have to abort our
penetration or risk becoming another artefact.At 19.14 it
is time to leave, now I realize I can’t feel my legs.
Carl looks like he could even eat a McDonalds as his repeated
requests for food have fallen on deaf ears. Finally Genya
succumbs and produces a picnic. The deepest dinner we have
ever had.
MIR 1 left 2 hours ago and we are alone. Genya turns the
lights off as we start our silent return to the daylight.
We must have shot a thousand photos; if one comes out we’ll
all be happy. Two and a half-hours later we break surface
in the dark, the duty ‘cowboy’ locks on and we
sway around in the increasing swell. Secured back to the deck
we power down and the hatch opens. What do you say when you
have just dived the Titanic, how do you greet the world again?
It is almost like going on stage. Amidst much cheering and
clapping we emerge. Mission complete. Truly a day to remember.
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see more of Kev Gurrs Titanic images click
here
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CDNN
news site EXPOSED as thieves
click here
TITANIC
Two and a half miles below the Atlantic Ocean lies the most
famous of shipwrecks RMS Titanic. DeepImage now brings you the
2003 scientific expedition to the site.
Read
the full story here
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Image UK
London England
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