The wreck of Titanic has been on the ocean floor for almost a century. It looked so lonesome and fragile, like it would fall apart if you give a light kick. What about 100 years from now? Will Titanic dissolve into nothingness and "exist only in our memories"? Should the artifacts be brought back on land? I don't think we should tamper with it, but given time, all of it would be gone. I believe there was a debate on this issue, but I don't know the outcome. Please tell me if you do.

-- Rose (rose364@earthlink.net), February 19, 1998

Answers

I don't know about 100 years from now, but since Ballard and his buddies found her in 1985, the roof of the gymnasium has collapsed. Eventually, all the wood will decay away. Her hull was metal, I think it was iron. Eventually iron will oxidize in the water and rust, and the rust will flake off leaving nothing. I'm not 100% certain if it was iron, it's nearly one o'clock in the morning and I'm too lazy to consult a book right now, but I'm pretty sure it was iron. If it's a metal that doesn't react with water, then at least we'll have a skeleton forever. But I remember Don Lynch saying that she'd fall apart if we try to raise her out of the water, so it must be iron. I never thought of it before, but it will be sad if she just disappears. At least we have James Cameron and his cameras who got good pictures of her way far inside the decks. I personally don't believe that anyone should be selling stuff from Titanic to collectors. It would creep me out to have something from that ship in my home. Fifteen hundred people died there. To put that in perspective, think of your whole high school (how many years ago that was) dead in four hours from now. I think we should show respect for them by letting that site rest peacefully. One death is a tragedy, fifteen hundred is a statistic. What if your grandfather died in that water? Would you want people who just wanted to make money off of his death rummaging around there? If people insist on looting the place, then all profits should go to the families of those who died. Filming the boat and recreating it and making a movie about it is one thing, James Cameron wanted to make this movie because the Titanic legend haunted him, not only because of profits. But to actually take stuff out of it that was once used by people who died there, it totally creeps me out.

-- Jen (jendrew@hotmail.com), February 19, 1998.

According to Dr. Ballard in his research at the wreck site, the steel of the Titanic is slowly being consumed by a type of iron eating bacteria that leaves a rust colored by-product on the metal surface. It takes the form of "rusticles" (a term coined by Dr. Ballard) that hang down from the decks and sides of the ship. The metal is undoubtedly corroded to the point where any attempt to raise the ship would cause the structure to collapse. I would bet that the roof of the gymnasium has collapsed as a result of salvage attempts. Shame!

-- Alfred Orvedahl (alfred.orvedahl@lmco.com), February 19, 1998.

Re the Gymnasium roof:

In "The Discovery of the Titanic" (December 1987 edition), Bob Ballard states on page 145 that "the ceiling was festooned with rusticles and collapsed downward on the inboard side." This was a description of one of the 1986 dives, before any salvage work was done.

RMS Titanic, Inc. may have caused other damage to the wreck, but it is unfair to place blame on them for this particular damage, which obviously occurred as a result of the breakup of the ship or the sinking.

Cheers!

-- Kip Henry (kip-henry@ouhsc.edu), February 19, 1998.

Again, I think this is discussed on another thread but I too have heard that eventially, there will be nothing left of Titanic.

I know that there is a huge debate between salvaging pieces and artifacts and leaving it untouched, sacred, as it is a grave.

Maybe I would feel differently if one of my family members had perished with the ship but I think it would be a shame to let everything just rot!

I DO NOT think items salvaged should be sold to the highest bidder, rather kept together as a collection, maybe at the Smithsonian. This way future generations would be able to visit and it would become 'real' to them, the way Cameron's movie has helped it become 'real' for most of us.

I would love to go through a museum that contained Titanic artifacts and read about what the pieces were, who they belonged to, and what became of the owners.

I agree that bringing the whole ship up is impossible, but I'm sure pieces could be salvaged before the whole thing is gone.

-- Becky Gordon (becky.gordon@pfs.sprint.com), March 19, 1998.

MY OPINION IS THAT THE TITANIC SHOULD BE RAISED PIECE BY PIECE,SUCH AS ANCHORS,CRANES ETC.FORGET BALLARD AND ALL THOSE OTHER FOOLS THAT SAY THAT THE SHIP IS A GRAVE SITE,THOSE PEOPLE THAT DIED ON THE SHIP ARE LONG AGO GONE,ONE THING THAT GETS ME MAD IS THAT BOB BALLARD IS SAID TO BE THE GUY WHO FOUND THE SHIP,THAT`S A LIE IN REALITY IT WAS THE GUY AT THE MONITOR AND THE FRENCH,BALLARD WAS ASLEEP AT THE TIME,AS FOR THE DECAYING METAL DON`T WORRY,LOOK AT THE CIVIL WAR IRONCLAD SHIP MONITOR,IT`S BEEN ON THE OCEAN FLOOR FOR 140YRS AND THEY`RE RAISING IT PIECE BY PIECE,IF I HAD 40 BILLION I WOULD HELP OUT TO RAISE THE SHIP.

-- carlos lopes (carlosflopes@aol.com), March 19, 2003.

how old are you? 7? posting in all caps... think of it dis way, if your parents died in september 11, would you go around not giving a care, or would you be atleast sad? alot of peoples parents died on the titanic,and if your parents died on the titanic, dosnt it seem kinda wrong to just bring up a ship full of dead bodies of people you might kno? think before you submit F00L

-- you are a F00L carlos (carlosflopes@aol.com), May 14, 2003.

i think it would be really cool if they brought it up i understand that they can't do that but it is such a big hunk of history if we brought peices up that we could learn about it them being dead as sad at it sounds could help us learn from the mistakes that were made so it does not happen again i feel so so bad for the victims and their family's may god be with all of them and at least we have alot of angels watching over us now

-- denise kay trbovich (neasy1999@aol.com), August 19, 2003.

What about putting sum kind of cover over it all? Maybe sumkind of dome? I don't know how it would be put there with all the mud and sand. If it were possible, it would indeed help it to be preserved for the future and keep it as a landmark of maritime history, and indeed history of the world. Regarding the grave issue. I'm not sure about elsewhere in the world, but in my country (United Kingdom), after 100 years, some graveyards are dug up to put new graves into because of lack of space etc. What is the difference. They dig them up all the time. More graves must have been dug up on land than there is near and on the Titanic. I myself am 17 years old and have no close link with the Titanic which I know of, and hope not. It was a terrible thing to happen, but hey - we've had World War 2 since then, and look, more people died in that. Anyway, it's either brought up piece by piece or as a whole or whatever, or it stays there and decays. More damage is done to it staying there. And if bodies are brought up, they can always be buried at sea again. Some people believe different, but I believe when a person dies, that body doesn't contain anything more of there souls. Adios and goodbye. Long live the Titanic.

-- Rowan M. Ashe (rohanash85@hotmail.com), October 02, 2003.

I don't think the Titanic shouldn't be raised because it's a resting place for all those who died on that horrible day.I also don't think we should take the stuff of those who died either because that's their stuff not anyone elses we should leave it alone.

-- Kayla Osmick (bratty_girl18@hotmail.com), October 07, 2003.

yes I think the titanic should be raised because I want to see the titanic

-- Mark Tyszka (www.tyszka69@hotmail.com), October 07, 2003.

I dont think that the titanic should be raised because think about it it is the resting place for many of lost and broken souls i bet out there is people who is related to some of the people may be related to some one from the wreckage of the titanic i bet u if your mom or dad or a relative died on the titanic then you wouldnt want it to be raised!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-- Julie Mayfield (Jewlsdamodel01@aol.com), October 07, 2003.

I don't think that the Titanic should be raised because it's a gravesite. It's like- what if your parents of relatives died there? It would be like going to a grave yard, digging up a dead person you don't even know and then putting them on display in some building.

-- Ranna Hugh (snoopygirl2008@yahoo.com), October 07, 2003.

I dont think the Titanic should be raised because it would be like robbing a grave site. Plus if they did bring it to the Titanic to the surface there is a chance that it could fall apart. I just dont think they should raise it.

-- A E wyman (obloom347@yahoo.com), October 07, 2003.

I don't think it should be raised because it would be like raising a whole bunch of bad memories and expiriences that some people wouldn't want to remember. I think if we raise the Titanic it wouldn't really do us any good because it already is over and done with and we have already learned from the mistakes we have made and have all of this new technology so this kind of thing doesn't happen again. I think it has a bigger impact when we see the Titanic in the ocean because it shows how bad the tragedy was. If future generations saw the Titanic on land, it wouldn't be as powerful as seeing it where it is ment to be.

-- Bethany James (snoopygirl2008@yahoo.com), October 07, 2003.

I do not think the Titanic should be raised. Many secrets and memories are there in that unederwater graveyard, and I think it should stay that way- underwater, and untouched. Besides, when it would come up it may break away and all would be lost. So I think it should stay that way.

-- A. N. Onomous (snoopygirl2008@yahoo.com), October 07, 2003.

I believe that the Titanic should be raised beacause it is a part of history. If it is left down in the North Alantic it will soon decay and fall into a pile of rubble. I believe people should be able to see this amazing but sad ship. Pictures just don't give you a full view of the Titanic. If we raise it one piece at a time then soon we could piece it together and generations from now on can see and expierence the Titanic.

-- Rebecca Newburry (lilbrat2008@hotmail.com), October 07, 2003.

Hey! Y'all are trippin!!! Yeah the Titanic should be raised cuz me and home dogs agree with Becca!! Julie I hate to tell ya but I think yur comment is so not there!! If the Titanic was raised then those friends or relatives of the people who died could see it! Peace out homeys!!

-- Paige Brown (lilmissthang@epowerc.com), October 07, 2003.

Hey I don't think the Titanic should be raised because it's like a graveyard of many like peeps who died like when the Titanic went down. I think you should like keep it there cuz it is part of history, if we were like to bring it like up here it would like fall like apart!! c ya like later!

-- Ali Wagner (lilmissthang@epowerc.com), October 07, 2003.

The titanic is history now and is indeed very interesting! i think more pictures etc to tell the story about it better is acceptable! but...to raise it is a different issue! Its a grave site! Leave it be! all these people are buried at sea with the titanic! Yes bring up coaland plates. crockery, furniture but leave the belongings of each love one! you can only go too far!

-- David McCann (deifinbaker@hotmail.com), October 31, 2003.

Hello all, The Titanic will no longer be existing at the end of the next century and with all the pollution going to the sea, the content of the ocean will certainly dissolve any remains. The Titanic should really be protected. Like I mentioned before, a dome should be built over it. It's certainly not impossible, it just needs some engineering. It would keep it where it is so people who have nothing to do with it can stop bickering about the survivor's descendant's points of view. When all the close descendants die off, the only thing people would be saying is - I wish they did something so we could see it and pay tribute. Worse things have happened in this world than the Titanic. Besides the whole reason why we are here on this website is because we care (about our points of views not others). Join with me and agree with me that the Titanic should remain where it is, but it should be protected, by whatever means. If a dome could be built then it would also be a technological advancement for us humans and it would be something to be proud of. And we can pay tribute to those who lost their lives and a piece of our heritage can be on display so we won't forget. If we are on this website, we obviously care, so we certainly don't want people to forget. Rowan, Telford, UK.

-- Rowan M. Ashe (rowanmilesashe@hotmail.com), November 08, 2003.

I think the question is can the Titanic be raised? How would we get it up and out of the water? Who would get a claim on it? What would we do with it once its out? Where would we put it? I dont think we could raise it, since the war in Iraq is costing the US so much money and we are the only country that would do something so crazy. Why not try and raise the Lusitania or the Andrea Doria? Both in under 400ft of water, a very easy pick up!

-- Mike (mikecuso@msn.com), November 20, 2003.

The raising of the RMS Titanic is a very touchy subject, one of which I have debated for many years. In 1997, I was part of an organization (though it is was nothing special) who's goal was to raise the liner. And while I have no personal or hereditary link to the passengers of the ship, I believe the wealth of information we could recover from the ship only at the surface is very worthwhile. I understand the beliefs of those who feel she should remain at the bottom of the sea, but let's face it: the ship sank, and many died undeserved deaths. But we cannot change the past, we can only learn from it. In this world, as technology makes information more easily accessible, I believe that a physical object is much more easily understood than that of what we must leave to our imagination. Sure, there is a wealth of information about the ship, right down to the blue prints describing every bolt on this ship, but what have we learned about a ship that has lain under 2 1/2 miles of water for nearly one hundred years? If the primary goal to raise the Titanic isn't for monitary purposes, I don't necessarily think it's a bad idea, and as Tommy Thompson proved with the SS Central America, nothing in the deep sea can be condemned as impossible until it is actually tried.

Everybody here has spoken of the physical impossibilities of raising the Titanic, and yes, there are mountains to climb and a vast amount of information to be studied, but I do believe there are ways to do so (those of which I will not discuss publicly.) The biggest problem in raising an object that size, from that deep, in that condition, is money. It all boils down to money. If you aren't doing it for profit, then how will you pay your investors? Are there people out there that would spend billions of dollars on an investment that would never repay itself? I don't think so, in fact I know so. That is the reason our organization disolved.

Despite all that, during my time with the Raise The Titanic Foundation, I recieved my share of mail, both praise in hate. I was probobly recieving at least one hundred e-mails per day regarding the issue.

If the vision were to ever become a reality, we must be very wary of the people we entrust with this historic gem. RMS Titanic, Inc, is not considered a not-for-profit organization because their corporate earnings are most definately very vast. They HAVE made permanent disfigurements to the wreck (ie - the crow's nest) and they HAVE made themselves very rich. Also, if I am not mistaken, the collapse of the gymnasium roof was caused by the landing of a RMS Titanic, Inc. leased submersible. In this industrialist age, it is rare to come by an organization that is dedicated to a cause, not to money. The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute is one of these organizations, that amasses huge amounts of information regarding the sea. And while Clive Cussler will be most famous for his novel, "Raise the Titanic!" make sure you see that he has quite a few discoveries (including the famous CSS Hunley) under his belt as well, and he never became rich over them. Visit both of these organizations at www.whoi.edu and www.numa.org.

Tommy Thompson may have made huge leaps in the deep ocean research field, but his investors also had the lure of gold to help ease their minds.

-- K. Bailey (KJB1912@aol.com), November 23, 2003.

I forgot to mention my comments about the last posting:

As you so aptly mentioned, the Lusitania and Andrea Doria are in relatively shallow waters. There are problems entailed with each ship:

The Lusitania has been on the bottom of the sea since 1915, she sank in a mere 18 minutes after she was torpedoed by a Nazi U-Boat. The critical damage occured, though, when one of her coal bunkers, filled with gasses released by the fuel, exploded. You may recall that just last year in Colorado, a coal mine fire erupted on the surface of the ground. It is thought that the fire might have been rampaging for nearly 70 years. The Lusitania's hull suffered major explosion damages. She drove herself into the ocean floor at full speed.

Today, the wreck is mostly unrecognizeable. All the decks have collapsed, and the ship itself lies on it's Starboard side. Due to chemical composition levels in the sea (which are much higher in shallower water) as well as a much more habitable eco system, the ship has deteriorated far faster than that of the Titanic. The ship is also snarled in fishing nets.

The Andria Doria sank in 1956 in only 255 feet of water after a tragic collision with the small liner Stockholm off of Nantucket.

The liner itself is still in good shape, scrape off all the growth on the hull and you can still see paint. There have been many successful ventures down the the Doria, but most all have diver salvages. The bell has been raised from the Doria, as well as quite a bit more memorobillia via "Gimboll's Hole," carved into the hull by an expedition led by Peter Gimboll. The problem facing the salvage of this ship is simple: extreme currents.

The ship is located in an area heavily affected by currents that arrive quickly, and swirl bottom sediment until visibility is at zero. Fishing nets also are a cause for major concern on this wreck. Bob Ballard and Ken Marshall were caught in a fishing net on the Lusitania, and had to jetison the tail end of their submersible to break free to the surface. Most anyone with the guts to enter the wreck have been allured by the reported gold in the pursers safe which is probobly not there.

For more information, go to www.lostliners.com

-- K. Bailey (KJB1912@aol.com), November 23, 2003.

I do not think the Titanic should be raised. The dome Idea is retarded (no offense) and taking "artifacts" from it (also known as grave robbery)might cause further damage to the ship--Plus, all of these are a complete waste of our govornments time and money. And who's to say which country will get the Titanic. I'd rather see it down on the botton of the ocean disinegrating and eaten by miniscule organisms than divided up among greedy nations or peices thrown into a travel museum that just bore kids and (normal) adults alike. Yeah the Titanic was a huge piece of history, and what exactly hapend probably won't be known in any of our lifetimes. We need to stop dwelling in the murky past of the Titanic-we came, we saw, we learned, we moved on- We just landed a space probe on Mars and we're taking color pictures and it soon will be moving around--on another planet looking for LIFE!Dead, preserved life-sure, but its a huge step forward for mankind. The Titanic would just be a painful collapse back. Lets leave the history of the Titanic to that genoration and start creating some history we can be remembered for!

~B.J.~

-- B.J. Hallibeck (braneychick098@yahoo.com), January 07, 2004.

It's simple: Take only pictures: Leave only bubbles.

-- Jami Lee Halibeck (Jamberoo987@yahoo.com), January 07, 2004.

I have a split decision. I dont think the Titanic should be raised because its a graveyard and the people who had relatives who died on the Titanic might be against it being raised. But on the other hand the Tiatnic should be raised because then it doesn't disinagrate and dissapear off the face of the earth. It should be raised so that future generations can see the part of history that is Titanic. Plus I myself want to see the Titanic in person.

-- Robert Tierney (Rjtno1@aol.com), May 04, 2004.

I don't think the Titanic should be raised at all, My great Uncle died on it and I think it would be disrespectful to raise his grave, saving the artifacts is fine, but as for raising the ship itself I dissagree, anyway It cannot be raised now it is too badly rotting away if they tried to raise it it would just fall apart completely and nothing would be left at all.

-- Daniel Maher (dmaherishere@hotmail.com), May 05, 2004.

if you did place a dome over the titanic site, how would you get rid of all the water? it would enter from the sea bed unless you sank the dome some 15 meters into the sea bed. the rust is occuring due to chemicals in solution within the water. the problem is however, the air would furthermore oxidise the iron as the 'rusticles' have formed an oxide that reacts further to oxygen. therefore the rust situation is a no win situation eitherway. unfortunatly she will rust regardless unless she is risen and placed in a completely air tight/vacuum, which due to the pressures involved would cause certain parts of the ship to bend. i think we should just leave it and move onto more exciting science areas such as the exploration of other planets. what bothers me is, we went to the moon in 1969 (35 years ago). Since then what progresses have we made. we should by now have at least reached Mars i feel. Thats just my feelings. James Williams - 3rd year Chemistry Student, Oxford

-- James williams (randomguy890@hotmail.com), May 19, 2004.

I reckon that you should preserve the Titanic. When the engineering gets stronger and the scientists find a way to take the Titanic out of the water before it's too late. So scientists work harder and get cracking!!!!

-- Rebecca Wong (becky_chicks@hotmail.com), June 27, 2004.

hey every1! i think the titanic indeed is a gravesite and that it should not e moved from the bottom of the sea, as this would upset relatives of ones who perished. It also may cause further damage to the ship. to bring it up - its almost impossible. I too like many would love to visit the titanic- even underwater - but im too scared lol. The titanic is wraped in mystery and sadness so i think it shud be left wer its supposed to be.

-- harlie mc glasson (fit_sxy_harlz@hotmail.com), October 05, 2004.