How soon did Robert Ballard find the stern section after he found the bow section?

If I recall correctly, he discovered a boiler first and then found the bow section; that's when he realized the funnels were off and the ship had split in two.

How soon did he find the severed stern after finding the bow? And how far apart are the stern and bow sections from each other?

 

I think they are about half a mile apart if I remember correctly? Im sure I remember thinking it was about a 10 minute walk on the sea bed between them!

 

They found the stern section in the initial discovery, they did passes with ANGUS for a couple days on site, saw the ship was broken, and went over the data on the way back to WHOI, finding the ‘tangled mess’ of the stern about a half mile south of the well preserved bow.

 

Actually he didn't realize the funnels were off until 1986. In the initial 1985 expedition his readings led to an erroneous conclusion that the second and third funnels were still intact on the bow. That's the reason why when he did his press conference after returning his description of the wreck included the phrase, "her mighty stacks pointed upward".

 

When Dr. Ballard was interviewed on TV he said - "We are still searching for the stern. We can't find it. It does appear to be disconnected."


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When those first images of the bow were broadcast there was a strong belief that the wreck was still intact and debates on raising the Titanic were televised shortly after the initial discovery.

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