National Geographic: Secrets of the Titanic Page #2

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and the U.S. Navy agreed

to sponsor an expedition.

They say the name of the ship is on

one of the capstans.

Oh, it is?

On the top, yeah.

It should be visible.

We'll have to go and take a look.

A tiny TV camera serves as the

single eye of Jason Jr.,

a robot submarine developed for the

navy in Ballard's lab.

Jason is ideal for exploring wrecks;

getting TV pictures in places

too confined and dangerous

for manned submarines.

Preparing for the Titanic expedition

Jason and his operator, Martin Bowen,

go into intensive training.

Jason is powered by 4 electric motors.

He can venture as far as 200 feet

away from Alvin, the manned submarine.

Jason is much like a dog on a

long leash,

moving on commands from his master.

Here in the lab it's easy to navigate

but deep on the Titanic wreck,

in pitch darkness

it will be another matter.

Often Martin's only viewpoint

will be Jason's electronic eye.

Now some 11months after Ballard

discovered Titanic's resting place

he is returning aboard Atlantis II.

It's clear by now

that no one knew Titanic's precise

location when she sank.

This original confusion explains why

the wreck was so difficult to locate.

There are no landmarks

the coast of Nova Scotia

is some 350 miles away.

The sea tolerates

no gravestones or monuments

only the knowledge of what

lies 21/2 miles below

gives this place identity.

When you're out at sea

it's just a big, monstrousthing.

It has no dimensions.

You tend to wander around in the

ocean and not feel that you're

any where at any on time.

Then when you find the Titanic

it rivets you to that one spot.

You know exactly where you are and

you know exactly what took place

right where you are and that's eerie.

You want to see lifeboats or people

in the water that you can

take drowned right around you.

Yeah, you hear them, you feel it.

Very much so.

The grey down of April 15th,1912

revealed a scattered

fleet of life boats.

Hundreds of bodies floated

in the surrounding waters.

The boats contained just

Aboard the liner Carpathia

amazed passengers took these snapshots

as the survivors were rescued.

Her compliment of passengers

doubled Carpathia raced for New York.

Everything was quiet calm and orderly.

It was too soon to explain and

too late to cry.

Tragically rumors and confusion

kept hope alive that others might

have been saved by other ships.

Slowiy, as fragmented and

conflicting radio reports came in

the world began to realize

what had happened overnight.

In London, silent crowds gathered

at the offices of the White Star Line

Here many of Titanic's passengers

had bought their tickets

and here a precious few were

reported alive.

In Liverpool, homeport of Titanic

the streets were full of dazed

and grief-stricken families

begging for news

and reeling in shock when it came.

In New York wild rumors circulated

one paper reported Titanic

still afloat and everyone safe.

Anxious and incredulous crowds

gathered in front of newspapers

and offices of White Star.

Suspense and uncertainty grew

for 4 days.

Finally, on the evening of April 18th,

Carpathia arrived at last.

Then as night fell there followed

a chilling pantomime which

brought home the full impact

of what had happened.

In the glare of photographers

flashlights survivors

lined Carpathia's rails

but as thousands waited Carpathia

first unloaded Titanic's lifeboats.

Seeing finally was believing

all that remained of the greatest

ocean liner in the world.

By the next day survivors

had dispersed.

Frustrated newsreel cameramen were

left to film mere boys,

young stewards who clowned

and laughed even as the rest

of the world mourned.

There remained the task of bringing

in bodies

only some 300 were found out

of 1,523 people lost.

In fear and superstition

Many ships avoided these waters for

years afterward.

Brought ashore at Halifax some

victims were claimed and shipped home

For others the maiden voyage of

Titanic ended here in Canada

just a few miles from

the North Atlanic shore.

Today these graves still are tended

at the expense of the

shipping line which took over

from the owners of Titanic.

The disaster is memorialized

like a great battle which

changed the course of history.

But what was the meaning of it all?

It caused only an instant's

hesitation in the march of technology.

But, somehow, Titanic made people

think and they are thinking still.

Every 5 years the valiant dwindling

band of Titanic survivors

is invited to attend a convention

of the Titanic Historical Society.

Thank you very much.

You look pretty good.

Thank you.

There are only about 24 known

survivors alive today.

But the number of people

interested in Titanic is growing

and this fascination reached

a fever pitch when

the wreck of Titanic was found.

July 13th, 1986.

The first attempt

to reach Titanic by submarine is

planned for this morning.

Bob Ballard and 2 companions will

ride to the bottom

in the research submarine, Alvin.

In his enthusiasm Bob Ballard has

perhaps made things seem too easy.

This morning he has

many promises to keep.

The crew compartment of Alvin

is a sealed,

equipment and 3 uncomfortable humans.

Alvin is a tried and trusted design.

It has mapped underwea mountains

located a lost H-bomb,

and now is poised over the most

celebrated shipwreck of modern times.

Once launched Alvin is independent

of its mothership.

The crew can communicate

with the surface,

but in the deep they are

so far from help,

they might as well be on the moon.

To conserve electrical power Alvin

will fall to the ocean bottom

only as fast as gravity allows.

The slow plunge will take 21/2 hours

a time of tedium and growing suspense.

Alvin, this is A-two, over.

Go ahead.

Roger. Ralph

we have the tracking running well

and the bow section should be a

range of about 800 meters,

bearing two three zero degrees, over

Ballard reports that Alvin's

batteries are leaking and

its sonar system has failed.

He must rely on

imprecise directions from above

and he cannot stay down much longer.

Alvin, this is A-two.

According to tracking you just

drove over the forward section.

Suggest you come to course 280

and travel for 200-300 meters, over.

I can't believe they can't see it.

I can't believe they cannot see it.

They can only see 30 or 30 feet.

It's... of water.

Atlantis II, Atlantis II

this is Alvin.

We are at the Titanic, over.

Roger, Alvin, we understand

you found the Titanic, over.

Roger, we're sitting at the base

it appears be near the stern

or the midsection.

We are deciding what to do next

because we're running low on power.

No sooner is Titanic found than

the dive must be abandoned.

It takes another 21/2 hours for

Ballard to regain the surface.

We had problems with the submarine

so we had to abort the dive

and immediately head up.

So I saw it for 10 seconds

and that was it.

So, well have to go back and

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