2005 Titanic Research Expedition Photographic Series to be Released

[David A. Bright]

Recent high-quality digital photographs from various locations on RMS Titanic will be released in weekly installments on the Nautical Research website. The first series of photographs was released on Tuesday show a complete Wellin davit mechanism with double rocker-arms clearly visible. This picture was taken in the stern section of the wreck site of RMS Titanic. From our research, never before has a complete mechanism been photographed from the wreck site.

The method for retrieving this information can be found by going to our main Corporate website at http://www.nauticalresearch.com and then selecting Updated News from the left-hand column. The presentation links can be found under the September 26, 2005 submission. From the photographs, you can see that this davit mechanism is in great shape. Our MIR submersible pilot, Genya Cherniev and I were astonished by this find.

Complete diary information from our diving expedition to Titanic can be found on the shipwrecks site at http://shipwreck.blogs.com from the dates starting July 6th and ending on August 23rd. This site includes detailed logs and exclusive videos from both topside on Keldysh and below on Titanic. You will need the Macromedia Flash 7 plug-in to see the videos that can be uploaded via a left-hand link on the Shipwrecks site. We welcome your visits to our sites!

 

[David A. Bright]

The second part of our series from the 2005 scientific research expedition to RMS Titanic has been placed on our Nautical Research Group corporate website. These high-quality digital photographs were taken this summer while diving with Genya Cherniev in the MIR II submersible. The second part of this series will show pictures of the bow sprit, the port side anchor, auxiliary anchor and the huge links of the anchor chain.

To access these new photographs, as well as other Titanic photographs, scientific research paper and accompanying PowerPoint presentation go to our corporate website at http://www.nauticalresearch.com and within the text of this page select the link entitled Educational Services. This will bring you to our educational page where all this valuable information can be viewed and downloaded for personal use only. I will be placing stunning new photographs from various sections of RMS Titanic every week so you might like to syndicate our WEBLOG (BLOG) site at http://shipwreck.blogs.com to be notified of the latest news. It is very easy to syndicate our WEBLOG site by going to the link on the far left column of our blog and select the Syndicate link.

 

[Mark Draper]

Cool new photos there David

How many photos are there, enough to make a mosaic of the wreck? I'm curious about the superstructure, as that has shown major change over the years. Most of the changes seen are there on both sections, more on the stern, as the upper decks have completely flattened down.

 

[David A. Bright]

Hello Mark,
Thank you for your kind remarks. In 2003, we took over 1000 photographs and over 6 hours of video on Titanic. Believe it or not, that was not enough to suit the scientific needs of our corporation. After a thorough debriefing on what we could of done better and spending the next two years planning and developing a strategic plan, we set out on the 2005 expedition with very lofty goals. The Titanic dive using the MIR submersible was meticulously created and planned by me. I met with both Genya Cherniev and Anatoly Sagalevitch, in advance, for endorsement of my plan and then briefed my partner Rob and his documentary producer Andrew Brooking on the plan. Our entire dive to the ship would be a huge filming session utilizing six cameras. Genya would be filming the ship via the HD videocam that was attached to the robotic arm of MIR II. My other dive partner, Rob Goldsmith, was being featured by the British History Channel, so they had him come along with me as his "teacher" to show him the wreck. Rob had two cameras, one for the British History Channel that he used to film both internal and external shots and his personal camera. I brought with me 3 cameras, each with a different purpose and plan. Additionally, I took the History Channel's camera and filmed pictures of Rob and Genya within the MIR. Andrew's documentary will be premiering in the United Kingdom on Tuesday, October 18th at 10:00pm; Wednesday October 19th at 1:00pm; and Saturday October 22nd at 9:00pm. I don't know if there are any plans to show this documentary in North America. I will be chatting with Andrew and Rob soon!

Now to answer your question--our 3 cameras were very high-end and were shooting both HD-quality video and photographs. Our philosophy was to shoot everything and we did. In 2005, I took well over 5000 photos and four hours of quality video. All of our years of planning turned out some stunning video and some startling observations about Titanic that had never been seen before. I think that with these huge volumes of information captured, you can understand why it takes so long to process and analyze. Remember, our focus is scientific analysis on the deterioration of Titanic so each picture is meticulously reviewed and analyze. We have not even gotten through ten percent of our analysis yet. I plan on putting out eight parts on our Titanic series. Each part will be spaced about one week from each other which will allow us to place some great shots on the corporate website ( www.nauticalresearch.com ).
To answer your questions about the superstructure, the photographs only show snapshots and would not be as helpful as video. We have been inundated by offers to produce a video documentary utilizing our high-quality film. Finally bowing to all the external pressures, we have announced on our corporate website (October 4th) the production of a new Titanic Exploration DVD that is slated for release during the 94th anniversary marking the sinking of Titanic in April 2006. Further information on this exciting project can be found on the corporate website or our Shipwrecks weblog http://shipwreck.blogs.com throughout the winter. We promise that this video will be a unique and valued addition to your Titanic collection. All subsequent notices for the release of new parts to our Titanic series will be made through this thread. I appreciate your comments and feedback!

 

[Mark Draper]

I see.

Yeah I'm curious about the wreck's decay most of all.

Good luck on the posting of the new information about the wreck, I look forward to see what will be seen.

 

[Tarn Stephanos]

Thanks for the poste David, the linked website covering this is very interesting to me, given that I am studying underwater archaeology, and rest assured I will be looking in on your site weekly....One (of many) aspects of the Cameron expedition that excited me was the talk of creating a Titanic archaeological database, where the footage and findings can be archived and made available to scholars. I look forward to any findings and images on your linked website pertaining to the rate of decay on Titanic.

regards


Tarn Stephanos

 

[David A. Bright]

Titanic Photographs - Part III Helm and Bridge

On October 14th 2005, Nautical Research Group is pleased to announce the release of the third part of our eight part series of our high-quality digital photographs from our 2005 Scientific Research Expedition to RMS Titanic. The third part of our photographic series will take you on a brief tour of Titanic's bridge area and the only structure left on the bridge - the ship's telemotor. Besides the bowsprit of Titanic, this telemotor is the most recognizable view of this legendary liner. These photographs will show the collapsed area of the bridge surrounding the telemotor and an up-close view on the condition of the beautiful bronze helm stand that allegedly was damaged by salvagers. As you can see, the telemotor is in a relatively pristine state.

These high-quality digital photographs were taken this summer while diving with Genya Cherniev in the MIR II submersible. To access these new photographs, as well as other Titanic photographs, scientific research paper and accompanying PowerPoint presentation go to our corporate web site at http://www.nauticalresearch.com and within the text of this home page select the link entitled Educational Services. This will bring you to our educational page where all this valuable information can be viewed and downloaded for personal use only. I will be placing stunning new photographs from various sections of RMS Titanic every week so you might like to syndicate our weblog (blog) site to be notified of the latest news. Next week, we will be publishing the latest photographs that show the recent discovery ( http://shipwreck.blogs.com/TitanicPRWEB.pdf ) of the bow mast collapse distal to the crow's nest.

Source: http://shipwreck.blogs.com October 14th, 2005

 

[David A. Bright]

NEW Titanic Documentary to Air on UK History Channel

The debut of the latest diving expedition documentary to RMS Titanic will premiere on the British History Channel in the UK tonight. This film will follow the adventures of Rob Goldsmith, the winner of the History Channel's contest, on his experiences in visiting this wreck site. Nautical Research Group's president, David Bright, was proud to be a member of this expedition and give Rob a first-hand view of this stunning shipwreck. The film is being produced/directed/filmed by documentary expert Andrew Brooking and I was honored to be a part of his documentary.

The Titanic dive management plan using the MIR submersible was meticulously created and planned by me following a thorough debrief of our 2003 scientific research expedition to the shipwreck. I met with both Genya Cherniev and Anatoly Sagalevitch, in advance, for endorsement of my plan and then briefed my partner Rob Goldsmith and producer/director extraordinaire Andrew Brooking on the plan. Our entire dive to the ship would be a huge filming session utilizing six cameras. Genya would be filming the ship via the HD videocam that was attached to the robotic arm of MIR II. Rob Goldsmith, who was being featured by the British History Channel, so they had him come along with me as his "tutor" to show him the wreck, was using two cameras. I brought with me 3 cameras, each with a different purpose and plan. Additionally, I took the History Channel's camera and filmed pictures of Rob and Genya within the MIR. Andrew's documentary will be premiering in the United Kingdom on Tuesday, October 18th at 10:00pm; Wednesday October 19th at 1:00pm; and Saturday October 22nd at 9:00pm. Hopefully, there will be a showing of this documentary outside of the United Kingdom so we will let you know the latest developments.

Source: http://shipwreck.blogs.com October 18th, 2005

 

[Tarn Stephanos]

Thanks for the post David, hopefully the History channel here in the US will carry this-I will watch, tape, and watch this again and again....
Does there appear to be progress in the planned archaeological database of the visual data from expedition 2005?

Thanks


Tarn Stephanos
Boston MA

 

[David A. Bright]

Hello Tarn,

We have our own proprietary database of photometric information that is used for studying the changes in the deterioration of Titanic over time. I believe that someone mentioned that James Cameron was looking at putting together an archaeological database that could be assembled for further study of Titanic. Personally, no one has approached me with further details. Perhaps Parks or Kelvin Magee might know of what is being developed. I have exchanged emails with Parks and would like to follow-up with the concept of a universal archaeological database with him.

As a side note, I just finished chatting with Andrew Brooking and there might be a chance to have this film over in North America but nothing is definite yet. I will be getting a DVD copy of this program soon! By the way, I have dealt with many producer/directors in my days, but Andrew was the most diligent to detail filmographer that I have ever seen. He was the epitome of professional --and I am sure that his final product will be a fine example of his character!

David A. Bright
President
Nautical Research Group, Inc.

 

[David A. Bright]

Titanic Photographic Series - Part IV Titanic Mast Collapses over the Past Year

On October 21, 2005 I will be releasing some of our most significant photographs from 2005. One of the most stunning observations of this year’s diving expedition to RMS Titanic was the discovery of the mast collapsing since the Ballard expedition. Nautical Research Group was the first to break the news about the significant collapse in the mast just about the crow’s nest where Frederick Fleet made the infamous statement, “Iceberg, right ahead” ( http://shipwreck.blogs.com/TitanicPRWEB.pdf ). This series of photographs are the first that document this observation that occurred sometime between June 2004 and July 2005. Using our photometric analysis from 2003, we ascertained that this section of the mast was in serious danger of collapse and it took less than two years for this event to occur. The metal sections of the mast are starting to peel and the integrity of the steel is crumbling. At no part of our analysis have we observed that this collapse was caused by anything other than natural decay. Further examination of the mast show that there are other portions of the steel casing within the mast that have similar natural decay. Because of the collapse just above the bell stanchion of the crow’s nest area, the remainder of the mast distal to this break has shifted and the mast top has fallen from the boat deck area, near the bridge, down towards A-deck as shown in our final photograph. From a peripheral view, the mast looks like a huge water slide with the upper portions of the mast coming off the forecastle of A-deck down to the decking of where the cargo winches, windlass and cargo hatches are located.


These high-quality digital photographs were taken this summer while diving with Russian pilot Genya Cherniev in the MIR II submersible. To access these new photographs, as well as other Titanic photographs, scientific research paper and accompanying PowerPoint presentation go to our corporate website at http://www.nauticalresearch.com and within the text of this home page select the link entitled Educational Services. This will bring you to our educational page where all this valuable information can be viewed and downloaded for personal use only. I will be placing new photographs from various sections of RMS Titanic every week so you might like to syndicate our web log site to be notified of the latest news. Next week, we will be publishing the latest photographs that show the officers quarters, promenade and Marconi room areas.

Source: http://shipwreck.blogs.com October 21, 2005

 

[David A. Bright]

Titanic Photographic Series - Part V Titanic Officer's Quarters, Marconi Room and Promenade

Normally we have this photographic series available on-line Thursday evening; however, this week we had a very interesting adventure. As you probably know, our corporation, Nautical Research Group is involved with underwater projects throughout the world. For the past two weeks, we were in Florida monitoring underwater sites looking for potential damage due to the fierce tropical storms that have battered the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico waters. Little did we know that a small tropical depression named Wilma would become a full-fledged hurricane and it was decided to stay in Florida during the time that Wilma reached the southwest shores of Florida. Although we were about 80 miles north of the hurricane strike, the winds and rains were very significant. Because of this devastation in southern Florida it took several days for us to get back to our New Jersey base. Therefore, as a way to make this up to you, I am including an extra high-quality digital photograph for your review.

These wonderful five photographs show the decay of the upper structures of Titanic's bow. The upper right picture shows Captain EJ Smith's quarters complete with his porcelain tub. The photograph in the upper right is taken from the starboard side officer's quarters and clearly visible is the electric winch for the lifeboats. The middle photograph is taken above the officer's quarters where the expansion joint is seen and the Marconi room is observed. Note the electrical wires from within this room. The lower left hand photograph shows the port side officer's quarters around the expansion joint that has widened to expose another porcelain tub. Our final photograph of Part Five is the port side first class promenade.

To access these new photographs, as well as other Titanic photographs, scientific research paper and accompanying PowerPoint presentation go to our corporate website at http://www.nauticalresearch.com and within the text of this home page select the link entitled Educational Services. This will bring you to our educational page where all this valuable information can be viewed and downloaded for personal use only. I will be placing new photographs from various sections of RMS Titanic every week so you might like to syndicate our site to be notified of the latest news. Next week, we will be publishing the latest photographs that show the starboard hull damage due to natural decay and a trip to the boiler room.

Source: http://shipwreck.blogs.com October 28, 2005

 

[Mark Draper]

Cool. Also please show the gymnasium and remains of the grandstaircase.

Dave, I was also curious if there are any photos of the starboard open end of A deck forward under the bridge wing?

 

[David A. Bright]

Titanic Photographic Series - Part VI Starboard Hull Deterioration on the Bow

I was planning on showing the structural starboard side hull damage on the bow and the boilers for this part of our series; however, the structural damage to the starboard bow is too great and will be the most important concern to the overall integrity of RMS Titanic. Therefore, I will devote this entire part of my Titanic photographic series to this alarming damage as it will be an area of continued future study to evaluate the on-going condition of Titanic.

Part Six contains a great view of the structural damage that is naturally occurring on the starboard hull just below and forward of the bow cargo crane. The picture in the upper left shows Mir I exploring the front superstructure below the telemotor. From this angle, you can see how the mast has collapsed at such a sharp angle. The remainder of these pictures are quite dramatic when you realize that at least four deck levels are opened to the ocean on the starboard hull. As the ship is starting to collapse on the inside, the structural integrity of this area is being compromised and further deterioration is proceeding along the starboard hull. Observe the cracks and separation of the hull plates that will only get worse over time that threaten the overall integrity of the entire bow of Titanic.

To access these new photographs, as well as other Titanic photographs, scientific research paper and accompanying PowerPoint presentation go to our corporate website at http://www.nauticalresearch.com and within the text of this home page select the link entitled Educational Services. This will bring you to our educational page where all this valuable information can be viewed and downloaded for personal use only. I will be placing new photographs from various sections of RMS Titanic every week so you might like to syndicate our site to be notified of the latest news. Next week, we will be publishing the latest photographs from the boiler room at the aft bow section of the ship.

Source: Shipwrecks http://shipwreck.blogs.com November 3rd, 2005 10:00 pm EST

 

[Mark Draper]

Any new photos showing the more rapidly decaying superstructure decks?

From what I read of Parks' report from 2005 the aft sloping decks are falling away from the rest of the ship and sliding down which will have them cover the boilers someday.

David will you post photos showing both sides of the ship or just here and there sections?