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Divers Visited the Titanic's Wreck for the First Time in Over a Decade. Here's Why They Were Shocked by the Ship's Condition

New footage detailing the condition of the Titanic has scientists speculating that the shipwreck will have disintegrated entirely within the next 30 years.

An expedition team led by Caladan Oceanic CEO and deep-sea explorer Victor Vescovo recently dove to the wreck in the five times over the course of eight days, sourcing the most up-to-date images of the famous sunken liner. Vescovo also recently broke the world record for deep-diving with a recent descent 35,853 feet into the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean, the deepest natural trench in the world

The wreck of the Titanic has lain at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of the Canadian province of Newfoundland since April 1912, when it hit an iceberg and sank on its maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City. Of the 2,207 passengers and crew on board, more than 1,500 died.

Atlantic Productions London, the team behind an upcoming documentary that is set to air the explorers’ findings, captured footage of a particularly affected area located on the starboard side of the ship. “The team of experts and scientists examined the remains of the ship, capturing for the first time extraordinary native 4K footage using specially adapted cameras,” a statement from Atlantic Productions read. “Using the submersible camera systems, the team performed dedicated photogrammetry passes on the wreck, allowing highly accurate and photoreal 3D models of RMS Titanic to be produced.”

In recent years, a mapping project has been undertaken to track and memorialize Titanic’s resting place; in 2012, the wreck became a UNESCO cultural heritage site. And with the ship’s continued deterioration to consider, the urgency of such projects is increasing. The “captain’s bathtub,” a well-known part of the wreck (pictured above) has now disappeared completely due to disintegration, Titanic historian Parks Stephenson noted in Atlantic Productions’ statement.

Read entire article at Time