The Titanic sinking while people in life boats stand by

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Searching for the Titanic

Could the most famous shipwreck in history ever be found

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It was April 14, 1912

black and white photo of a large ship

Bettmann/Getty Images

The Titanic as it set sail

    The Titanic sped across the Atlantic Ocean. The sky glittered with stars. The sea was as still as glass

    This was the Titanic’s first voyage, but already the ship was famous. It was big, beautiful, and built from the strongest steel. Many believed it to beunsinkable.” 

    Until . . . disaster struck.

    At 11:40 p.m., the Titanic hit a huge iceberg. The ship’s thick metal side tore open. Icy seawater flooded the ship. The Titanic was doomed. There weren’t enough lifeboats for everyone on board. More than 1,500 people died.

    Less than three hours later, the Titanic disappeared into the black waters of the North Atlantic Ocean. Would it ever be seen again?

black and white photo of an elaborate staircase with carvings on the railing

Science History Images/Alamy Stock Photo

Welcome to the Titanic  
The ship’s richest travelers used a grand staircase like this one. Guests were amazed by its carved wood and other details.

Beyond Reach

    The news of the Titanic disaster shocked the world. People wanted the ship to be found. Some families hoped their loved ones had survived inside the wreck

    But the Titanic was at the bottom of the ocean. It was under more than 2 miles of water. No person could survive in water so deepeven if they had air to breathe

    That’s because of something called water pressure. Water pressure is the force of water pushing against the body from all directions. As water gets deeper, water pressure becomes stronger. Lungs can’t breathe. Blood can’t flow. Hearts can’t beat

    This is why humans had never explored the deep sea. The Titanic seemed lost forever.

black and white photo of a large swimming pool

George Rinhart/Corbis via Getty Images

Take a Swim  
The Titanic was one of the first ships to have a pool on board. Passengers passed time by swimming laps in the heated water.

Human-Sized Worms

a man wearing a hat smiles at the camera

John B. Carnett/Bonnier Corporation via Getty Images

Robert Ballard

    As time went by, new inventions helped people explore the ocean. In 1960, two scientists climbed into a tiny submarine called asubmersible.” They went 7 miles down in the Pacific Ocean.  

    The men didn’t see much. It was almost pitch-black underwater. But their submersible was strong. They made it back aliveand inspired many people

    One of those inspired people was Robert Ballard. He grew up to become an oceanographera scientist who studies the sea. By the late 1970s, Ballard had spent more time in submersibles than any other human. On his journeys, he found amazing wonders. He saw eyeless fish and human-sized worms. 

    But there was something else Ballard wanted to find: the Titanic.

black and white photo of chairs in a large dining room

CPA Media Pte Ltd/Alamy Stock Photo

A Feast at Every Meal  
Guests enjoyed 10-course meals in a beautiful dining room while live music played. Expensive foods like oysters and steak were on the menu.

Deep Underwater

    In 1977, Ballard and a small team set out for the North Atlantic to look for the Titanic. Hopes were high. But just days into the voyage, a huge piece of Ballard’s ship plunged into the sea. He had no choice but to return home.

    Ballard wanted to try again. But it was hard to get more money for another trip. So he decided to focus on another dream he had.  

    For years, Ballard had wanted to create a better way to explore the deep sea. Submersibles let scientists like Ballard go deep underwater. But the trips were dangerous, and the submersibles could stay down for only a few hours at a time

    Ballard had a new idea. He wanted to build a remote-controlled submersible. This one wouldn’t need a human to go inside. Also, it would be covered with cameras. It would take pictures and videos that scientists could watch from a ship above.

black and white photo of a large room with a bed and table

Science History Images/Alamy Stock Photo 

Snooze in Style  
The fanciest cabins, or rooms, cost $100,000 in today’s money! They had running water—which most ships didn’t have in 1912.

A New Tool

enlargeable locator map of the Titanic wreck in the middle of the Atlantic ocean

Jim McMahon/Mapman ® 

    Ballard and his team got to work on the submersible, which they called Argo. But Ballard hadn’t forgotten about the Titanic. In 1984, he decided to try again to find the shipwreck

    On August 24, 1985, Ballard and his team were back on a ship in the North Atlantic. This time they had Argo. They sent Argo down to the bottom of the ocean. Its cameras clicked

    In a ship above, Ballard and his team watched as images appeared on the screen. Argo worked perfectly!

    In the coming days, Argo took pictures and videos of many things. There were huge holes in the sea bottom. There were plants that could grow without light. But unfortunately, there was no sign of the Titanic.

a large submersible underwater with a fish swimming nearby

© Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Super Submersible
To search for the Titanic, Ballard created a new kind of submersible. He called it Argo. It could be controlled from afar and was loaded with cameras and powerful lights.

Ship of Dreams

    On September 1, 1985, Ballard went to his room to rest. He felt discouraged. Soon they’d have to return home. Was this trip going to end like the first, in failure?

    He had just gotten into bed when he was called back to the control room. On the screen was a huge metal object. Ballard’s heart pounded. He knew what he was looking at: part of the Titanic’s engine. They had done it

    In the coming days, Ballard and the team would make dazzling discoveries. The biggest one: The ship had cracked in half just before it sank. Debris was scattered for more than a mile. They found dishes, shoes, and jewels on the seafloor

    But Ballard didn’t take any of those treasures. He explored the shipwreck of the Titanic but left it untouched. He wanted to always honor the memory of those who had lost their lives on that starlit night in 1912

a collection of old items: a cup, binoculars, keys, and a watch

John Lamparski/WireImage (Cup); Matt Cardy/Getty Images (watch); Michel Boutefeu/Getty Images (Binoculars); Tim Ireland/PA Wire/AP (keys)

Titanic's Tresures  
Ballard never took anything from the wreck. He wanted it to stay as it was. But in later years, other explorers removed thousands of objects—including these.

ACTIVITY
Finding Text Evidence

You’ve just readSearching for the Titanic.” Now do this activity to help you better understand the article.

Tip: Text evidence means details in a story that support an answer or show that it is true.

What to do: Use text evidenceor details from the articleto answer the questions below. We did the first one for you.

number one

Why was the wreck of the Titanic beyond reach in 1912?

HINT: Look for the answer in the sectionBeyond Reach.”

AnswerIn 1912, the wreck of the Titanic was out of reach because there was no way for people to explore the deepest parts of the sea.

number two

How did two scientists travel deep down in the ocean in 1960

HINT: Look for the answer in the sectionHuman-Sized Worms.”

number three

What new tool did Robert Ballard invent

HINT: Look for the answer in the sectionA New Tool.”

number four

What did Ballard find in 1985?

HINT: Look for the answer in the sectionShip of Dreams.”

Think About It! What do your answers tell you about how ocean exploration has changed since 1912?

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Beyond the Story: The Search for the Titanic

Watch this video to learn more about what happened after the famous shipwreck was discovered.

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