Best Of
The mysterious absence of bodies in Titanic’s wreckage
The RMS Titanic’s tragic sinking on April 15, 1912, continues to captivate the world more than a century later.
On its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York, the “unsinkable” ship struck an iceberg, leading to the deaths of over 1,500 passengers and crew.
Despite the catastrophic loss of life, one unsettling mystery has persisted — why were there so few bodies recovered from the wreckage, even though more than 1,500 people perished?
The discovery of Titanic’s wreckage
After decades of searching, the wreckage of the Titanic was discovered on September 1, 1985, more than 12,000 feet beneath the Atlantic Ocean.
After decades of speculation and attempts to locate it, an expedition finally succeeded in uncovering its location at the staggering depth.
It may seem strange that it took so long to find the wreck, but the problem wasn’t that its location was completely unknown — it was more about pinpointing its exact resting place.
Deep-sea explorer Robert Ballard spent eight days searching before successfully locating the R.M.S. Titanic, about 400 miles off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada. He was able to pinpoint the wreckage using his method of following debris—a technique he had first employed when discovering the Scorpion, a nuclear submarine that sank in 1968.
Ballard has previously spoken about the moment he saw the old ocean liner resting on the ocean floor.
”We made a promise to never take anything from that ship, and to treat it with great respect,” he told CBS News.
But since then, expedition teams have recovered hundreds of artifacts, offering us a glimpse into the past — pieces of furniture, dinnerware, and personal belongings belonging to those who never made it off the ship. However, it became clear how poorly preserved some artifacts were when the first major expedition to recover items from the Titanic began in 1987.
Where did all the bodies go?
The wreck itself was found split in two, with the bow more intact, showing interiors was still remarkably preserved after over 70 years underwater. Around the wreckage, a massive debris field stretching 5 by 3 miles was discovered, with thousands of objects scattered across the ocean floor.
But something startling was missing: the bodies of the victims.
The absence of human remains is something that has puzzled historians and explorers alike.
While shoes, boots, and other personal items have been found in the debris, there are very few human remains to speak of. Out of the 337 bodies recovered, 119 were buried at sea, while 209 were returned to Halifax.
“I’ve seen zero human remains,” James Cameron, director of Titanic, who has visited and explored the wreck 33 times and claims to have spent more time on the ship than its captain, told the New York Times in 2012. “We’ve seen clothing. We’ve seen pairs of shoes, which would strongly suggest there was a body there at one point. But we’ve never seen any human remains.”
So, what happened to the many bodies?
The truth seems to lie in the fact that the Titanic wreckage lies deep in the ocean—far deeper than most people realize. At depths of over 12,000 feet, the water temperature hovers just above freezing, and the pressure is immense.
Over time, these conditions have led to the bodies being consumed by bacteria and sea creatures. The only remains that seem to survive are items like shoes and boots, as these materials are not edible to marine life.
The role of seawater in the disappearance of bones
But the absence of skeletons isn’t just about sea creatures.
Robert Ballard, the deep-sea explorer who first discovered the Titanic wreck, explains that at these depths, the seawater actually has the ability to dissolve bones. The water is under-saturated in calcium carbonate, which is a key component of bones. As the soft tissue is consumed, the bones themselves slowly dissolve, leaving no trace behind.
Ballard even noted a stark contrast with the Black Sea, where no such critters exist to devour bodies, and where the bones are preserved in a mummified state due to the lack of marine life to break them down.
“The issue you have to deal with is, at depth below about 3,000 feet [914 meters], you pass below what’s called the calcium carbonate compensation depth,” deep-sea explorer Robert Ballard told NPR.
”And the water in the deep sea is under saturated in calcium carbonate, which is mostly, you know, what bones are made of. For example, on the Titanic and on the Bismarck, those ships are below the calcium carbonate compensation depth, so once the critters eat their flesh and expose the bones, the bones dissolve.”
The eerie reality
The discovery of the wreck and its surrounding debris field has always sparked a mix of awe and horror.
People who have learned about the disappearance of the Titanic’s bodies have shared their thoughts online, with many calling it “horrifying” or “eerie” to think about the thousands of lives lost and how nature has ultimately taken its course.
But amid this chilling reality, some find a strange comfort in knowing that the bodies were reclaimed by nature in its own way.
In the words of one commenter, ”The only comfort is that those victims were given back to nature the only way Mother Nature knows how.”
The Titanic’s slow decay
Since its discovery, the Titanic has been visited numerous times by scientists and explorers, and many of the items recovered have been put on display for public viewing.
Yet the wreck itself has not been preserved in pristine condition.
Over the years, submersible expeditions have accidentally caused damage to the ship, and a bacteria that feeds on iron has been slowly eating away at its hull. Scientists predict that within the next 50 years, the Titanic’s structure may collapse completely, leaving nothing behind but rust and the remnants of its resilient interior.
A tragic end to a tourist mission
In 2023, the wreckage became the setting for an even more modern tragedy.
The Titan submersible, operated by OceanGate to give tourists a glimpse of the Titanic’s final resting place, tragically imploded during its descent, claiming the lives of all six people inside the sub.
Onboard was the pilot Stockton Rush, co-founder of OceanGate, co-pilot Paul-Henri Nargeolet, a Titanic expert, and three tourists, Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son Suleman Dawood, both members of a wealthy Pakistani business family, and Hamish Harding, a British businessman and adventurer.
The mystery of the Titanic’s missing bodies is a haunting one, but it serves as a reminder of the brutal forces of nature and the profound loss that still lingers in the depths of the Atlantic.
Best Of
Update on the Pope’s health after he reportedly informed aides he ‘won’t make it this time
According to people close to the veteran, Pope Francis was admitted to the hospital last week for the same illness that caused him to become ill in 2023, but this time he doesn’t think he’ll be as fortunate. The 88-year-old was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital on Friday last week (February 14) with bronchitis, a respiratory infection, and was later diagnosed with pneumonia in both of his lungs.
“Pneumonia is inflammation and fluid in your lungs caused by a bacterial, viral, or fungal infection,” according to the Cleveland Clinic. In addition to making breathing difficult, it can result in fever and coughing up crimson, green, or yellow mucus.
Additionally, it states that “if left untreated, especially if you have an underlying health condition,” pneumonia can be fatal. Thankfully, it is recognised that baby is breathing on his own despite the diagnosis.
Politico said that the head of the Catholic Church has been “suffering from intense pain and has privately expressed certainty he won’t make it this time,” according to two persons who were supposedly aware of the situation.
However, a third source reportedly told the US-based website that Francis, who was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina’s Flores neighbourhood, is only following “doctor’s orders.”
On Wednesday, Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni paid the Pope a visit and emphasised that he was healthy enough to joke about. “I’m glad to have found him responsive and attentive.
As usual, we made jokes. “He still has a good sense of humour,” she clarified. Today, February 21, the Vatican released a statement that said, “The night went well, and this morning Pope Francis got up and had breakfast.”
The Vatican maintained on Wednesday that the Pope was recovering, despite reports from people close to him suggesting otherwise. They added: “The blood tests, evaluated by the medical staff, show a slight improvement, particularly in inflammatory indices.” “Pope Francis has had a restful night and this morning, got out of bed and had breakfast in an armchair,” the Vatican wrote on Thursday, February 20.
Francis was admitted to Gemelli Hospital in March 2023 with acute bronchitis, so this is not the first time he has been hospitalised with a respiratory ailment.
“I am still alive,” he declared to the public after being released from the hospital.
Twelve years ago, in March 2013, Pope Francis was chosen, making him the first pope from the Southern Hemisphere and the first non-European elected in almost 1,300 years.
Best Of
What grabs your attention immediately?
Optical illusions have always intrigued us, capturing our attention and leaving us with many unanswered questions.
Rather than just using flashy tricks, these fascinating images take us on a deep, thoughtful journey, showing us the complexities of how we see things.
Our special optical illusions will make you rethink everything you know about yourself. They might give you more insight into your life.
What grabs your attention immediately?
This picture is interesting because it shows how you see both the world and yourself. If you see a duck first, it means you’re outgoing, enjoy being around people, think quickly, and handle stress well.
If you see a rabbit first, it means you believe slow and steady wins the race. You prefer to think things through carefully before making a decision.
When you want something done right, you follow the proper steps. You are more introverted than most people. Like me, you prefer a few close friends over many acquaintances.
Do you see the faces or the vase?
This picture trick was created by a Danish psychologist to show how people see their strengths and weaknesses. If you see two faces first, you’re good at noticing small details and understand many different jobs.
But if you noticed the vase first, you’re someone who focuses on the overall picture and might miss small things.
Do you see an old man or a young woman?
At first, you might see one of two images. If you see the big-nosed older man looking down, you’re someone who pays close attention to details. Sometimes, though, you might overthink things because you’re very sensitive and understand others’ needs well.
But if you see the woman turning the other way, you’re more spontaneous and like to do things quickly. Your optimism helps you stay in control of your adventurous side.
Do you see an older or younger woman?
Who you see first in this picture might give away your age. If you see the young woman turning away, you’re probably still young. But if you notice the older woman, you might be older yourself. This was studied and published in the academic journal Scholarly Reports.
Best Of
Heart surgeon shares four types of foods you should ‘always avoid’ as they ‘poison’ your body
-
Entertainment1 year agoJohn Wayne’s son speaks on military service, Hollywood life and his dad, ‘The Duke’ – My Blog
-
Entertainment1 year ago40 Legendary John Wayne Quotes – My Blog
-
Entertainment1 year agoNew biography reveals the real John Wayne – My Blog
-
Entertainment2 years agoWhy one POPULAR ACTOR was FIRED from THE SONS OF KATIE ELDER and lost his career as a result! – Old western – My Blog
-
Entertainment1 year agoRio Lobo (1970) marked the last collaboration between John Wayne and Howard Hawks. – My Blog
-
Entertainment1 year agoJohn Wayne and the ‘Bonanza’ Cast Appeared in This Epic Coors Light Commercial – My Blog
-
Entertainment1 year agoHow Maureen O’Hara Broke Her Hand During Iconic Scene With John Wayne – My Blog
-
Entertainment1 year agoDid John Wayne really have a good time filming 1972’s The Cowboys? – My Blog