Titanic Survey Expedition

Manned mission to the Historic Titanic site

In what will be its Titanic expedition debut, Titan and dive teams comprised of researchers and citizen explorers, will journey to 3800 meters below the surface of the North Atlantic to the wreck site of the RMS Titanic. The inaugural Titanic Survey Expedition operated by OceanGate Expeditions is very timely. Missions in 2019 have discovered that the Titanic wreck is degrading rapidly. There will be only a limited number of years left for people visit and observe the Titanic remnants still standing above the ocean floor.

The expedition is scheduled to depart from St. John’s, Newfoundland with scientists, content experts, and mission specialists joining the crew in a series of week-long missions. The expedition crew size for each mission is about 40 people, including nine citizen explorers known as mission specialists, submersible pilots, operations crew and content experts. Qualified individuals join the crew as mission specialists to support the mission by helping to underwrite the expedition and by actively assisting the team aboard the submersible and the ship in roles such as communications, navigation, sonar operation, photography, and dive planning.

The Titanic Survey Expedition will conduct an annual scientific and technological survey of the wreck with a mission to:

• Create a detailed 3D model of the shipwreck and portions of the debris field using the latest multi-beam sonar, laser scanning and photogrammetric technology.
• Supplement the work done on previous scientific expeditions to capture data and images for the continued scientific study of the site.
• Document the condition of the wreck with high-definition photographs and video.
• Document the flora and fauna inhabiting the wreck site for comparison with data collected on prior scientific expeditions to better assess changes in the habitat and maritime heritage site.

Expeditions are to be conducted respectfully and in accordance with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Guidelines for Research, Exploration and Salvage of RMS Titanic [Docket No. 000526158–1016–02]. Note: these guidelines comply with UNESCO guidelines for the preservation of underwater world heritage sites.