The discovery of the RMS Titanic’s wreckage was not an accident, but rather the culmination of a series of futile efforts. In 1985, Robert Ballard created history with his ground-breaking invention, which remotely found a ship that had gone down in 1912. The Argo was a cutting-edge deep-sea video camera sled that enabled exploration of the ocean’s deepest reaches. This incredible technology contributed in the discovery of the Titanic, which lay more than 12,000 feet beneath the surface. It revealed new details about the ship’s sinking and the tragic fate of its passengers. Ballard’s amazing achievement is both a watershed moment in ocean exploration history and a terrifying marvel of technological progress.
The Untold Story of the Titanic’s Tragic End
Finding a Massive Propeller
The discovery of the RMS Titanic’s propeller by Argo was an expensive yet rewarding experience for Ballard. This massive starboard-side propeller was 23.5 feet in diameter and was one of three propellers that drove the fateful ship. Surprisingly, the center propeller was the shortest of the three, measuring only 17 feet and standing out as the odd one out. The discovery of the propeller provided unusual insights into the ship’s engineering, shedding light on the cause of the tragic accident. Ballard’s quest to recover it underscores the Titanic’s enduring allure and the lengths people will go to learn her mysteries.
Finding a Massive Propeller
