First Titanic expedition in 14 years shows wreck disintegrating

NEWFOUNDLAND, Canada (FOX 13) - It's been 14 years since divers last visited the wreck of the Titanic. In that time, metal-eating bacteria and salt corrosion have continued to consume the remnants of the once 'unsinkable' ship.

A team of ocean explorers revisited the wreck site, 12,500 feet beneath the surface, at the beginning of August, capturing high-definition video of the disintegrating ship.

The team, including explorer Victor Vescovo, Titanic expert Parks Stephenson, and expedition leader Rob McCallum of EYOS Expeditions, worked with a technical team from Triton Submarines to complete five dives in eight days.

The team deployed a two-person submersible to the wreck at Titanic's final resting place, located 370 miles south of Newfoundland, Canada.

Footage shows the level of the shipwreck's deterioration since the last dive made back in 2005.

"The most shocking area of deterioration was the starboard side of the officer's quarters, where the captain's quarters were," Stephenson said. "Captain's bath tub is a favorite image among the Titanic enthusiasts, and that's now gone. That whole deck hole on that side is collapsing, taking with it the staterooms, and the deterioration is going to continue advancing."

Experts said the ship will continue to disappear as more time passes.

"The future of the wreck is going to continue to deteriorate over time, it's a natural process," said scientist Lori Johnson. "These are natural types of bacteria, so the reason that the deterioration process ends up being quite a bit faster, is a group of bacteria, a community working symbiotically to eat, if you will, the iron and the sulphur."