For the first time, 8K footage of the Titanic has been released, allowing viewers to watch the iconic wreckage front and center.
OceanGate Expeditions, a Washington-based deep-sea exploration company, released the one minute excerpt Last week.
A camera pans across the ship as Sebastian Pangal’s “Le Grand Chopin Nocturne” plays hauntingly in the background. We also notice the famous prow of the Titanic, as well as a port anchor and a large anchor chain made up of links weighing 200 pounds each.
The footage was captured during OceanGate Expeditions’ Titanic 2022 Expedition as dive experts, Titanic Historians and researchers explored the wreckage and analyzed images and data alongside members of the public who applied and reserved places to join.
A spokesperson said OceanGate’s first Titanic expedition took place in 2021 and is done annually.
OceanGate Expeditions said in a press release that the “unprecedented 8K images” allow viewers to see never-before-seen detail.
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“Comparing footage and images from 2021, we see slight changes in some areas of the wreckage,” Stockton Rush, president of OceanGate Expeditions, said in the statement. “Our science team will review 8K, 4K and other footage captured during the Titanic 2022 expedition for any changes. Having experts on board the Titan submersible when we dive allows them to assess the wreckage through direct observation, to guide our exploration of the different characteristics of the wreck and to continue their study using imagery.”
8K video is extremely high resolution. It is made up of 33 million pixels instead of the standard 8000000.
The company’s science team is reviewing footage captured this year, including hours of 4K footage and limited 8K footage, a company spokesperson said.
Titanic expert Rory Golden, who accompanied the group on their Titanic explorations, pointed to details such as the name of the anchor maker, Noah Hingley & Sons Ltd., on the ship’s port anchor.
“I’ve been studying the wreck for decades and have done multiple dives, and I don’t recall seeing any other image showing this level of detail,” Golden said. “It’s exciting that after so many years we’ve discovered a new detail that wasn’t as obvious with previous generations of camera technology.”
The images, the company said, contain evidence of decomposition. For example, some railings on the Titanic appear to have collapsed and pulled away from the ship.
The company already has plans for its May 2023 expedition. He said aspiring mission specialists who want to join or support should reach out.
Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY’s NOW team. She’s from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757 – and loves all things horror, witches, Christmas and food. Follow her on Twitter at @Saleen_Martin or email him at sdmartin@usatoday.com.