Deep mysteries: Why Titanic's depth protects its victims' remains from discovery
The wreck of the Titanic was discovered on September 1, 1985, at a depth of 12,483 feet, but its interior wasn't examined until the mid-90s. This examination was done using remotely operated robots. Later, renowned director James Cameron descended to the bottom in a bathyscaphe, a feat that later contributed significantly to his film depicting the ill-fated ship's maiden voyage.
1:17 PM EST, January 3, 2024
A quote that drew a lot of attention, particularly among conspiracy theorists, came from one of the interviews with Cameron: "I haven't seen any human remains", said the director, who had descended underwater 33 times as part of the research, spending more time on board the ship than its captain, Edward John Smith. Intriguingly, no bodies have been found on board the Titanic since its discovery in 1985.
How is it possible that none of the victims' bodies were found on the Titanic's decks? The answer lies largely in the use of lifejackets. During the approximately one and a half hour evacuation, many people managed to equip themselves with these buoyancy aids, which kept them afloat even after they had succumbed to hypothermia.
After the Titanic sank, a storm ensued, sweeping away many bodies that were drifting in the ocean and those that remained on the ship's exposed decks and rooms. The rest was dealt with by strong ocean currents. The ship's owner, the White Star Line, was obliged to carry out a body recovery mission. Two chartered cable ships, the "Mackay-Bennett" and the "Minia," led the search and recovery operation, successfully recovering 323 bodies.
The few bodies trapped inside the wreck would have faced a slim chance of survival. Scavenging fish and bacteria would have completed the remaining work. However, the absence of bones, which have been found in even much older wrecks, is puzzling. The depth at which the Titanic's wreck rests could offer an explanation.
Below a certain depth in the ocean, around 3,000 feet, the water is very poorly saturated with calcium carbonate, the main building block of our bones. When a bone loses its natural protection, like the body and skin of its owner, calcium carbonate gets washed away. The result is the complete dissolution of bones that remain at significant depths.
According to some, there might still be a chance of finding human remains on the Titanic. To achieve this, previously closed and inaccessible areas would need to be reached, such as the engine room. These are places where underwater scavengers might have difficulty reaching, and the flow of fresh water is very limited, so decomposition and dissolution of remains would likely proceed much slower.
