Press "Enter" to skip to content

Creating a 3D Model of the Titanic

Atlantic Ocean —(Map)

Scientists have created the first full-sized digital model of the Titanic. The project is the largest underwater scan ever made. The model will allow scientists to study the Titanic in ways that were never possible before.

The Titanic was a massive ship that sank in the Atlantic Ocean in 1912. It was the largest ship of its time, and was thought to be “unsinkable”. But four days after it left Southampton, England, the Titanic hit an iceberg and sank. The sinking of the Titanic is one of the most famous disasters in history.

The Titanic broke into two pieces, and sank to the sea floor, 2.35 miles (3.8 kilometers) below the surface of the ocean. Because of this, it has been hard to study. The location of the wreck wasn’t discovered until 1985.

Black and white photo of the RMS Titanic departing Southampton on April 10, 1912.
The Titanic was a massive ship that sank in the Atlantic Ocean in 1912. It was the largest ship of its time, and was thought to be “unsinkable”. But four days after it left Southampton, England, the Titanic hit an iceberg and sank. Above, the Titanic as it left Southampton on April 10, 1912.
(Source: Francis Godolphin Osbourne Stuart [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.)

Since then, many teams have visited the site with submarines and undersea robots. These trips have resulted in lots of pictures and videos of the wreck. But even these only allow scientists to study one area of the wreck at a time.

Now, two companies – an undersea technology company called Magellan and the movie company, Atlantic Productions – have created a full-sized digital model of the Titanic. The companies say the model is about ten times larger than any other underwater 3D model ever made.

The model was created by sending two undersea robots down to the Titanic last summer. These robots – named Romeo and Juliet – took pictures of the Titanic from all sides and angles. The robots captured both of the main pieces of the Titanic (front and back), as well as the other bits of the wreck on the sea floor.

Image of the bow of the Titanic from a 3D scan.
Now, two companies have created a full-sized digital model of the Titanic. The model was created by sending two undersea robots down to take pictures of the Titanic from all sides and angles. Above, a 3D scan of the bow (front) of the Titanic.
(Source: Atlantic/Magellan.)

Over six weeks, the robots took high-quality videos and over 715,000 pictures. The pictures were taken in a way that allowed the scientists to put them together to create a 3D model of the Titanic.

The model, which the companies call a “digital twin”, is so detailed that you can see part of the serial number on one of the Titanic’s propellers.

The Titanic is protected by laws that say it must be left untouched. The scan was made without disturbing the wreck. And now, the 3D model will allow people to learn about the Titanic without touching it.

Image of the blade of a propeller on the Titanic, with part of the serial number visible.
For six weeks last summer, the robots took more than 715,000 pictures which scientists used to create a 3D model of the Titanic. The model, which the companies call a “digital twin”, is so detailed that you can see part of the serial number on one of the Titanic’s propellers (above).
(Source: Atlantic/Magellan.)

The companies say the model will help scientists and historians, allowing them to study the Titanic in great detail. Using the 3D model, users will be able to see the ship from all angles, and zoom in and out in a way that would never be possible underwater. Gerhard Seiffert, who helped capture the 3D images, says, “This is the Titanic as no one had ever seen it before.”

The Titanic has been under water for over 100 years, and it’s not in great shape. Scientists believe that studying how the Titanic is breaking down could help them learn more about thousands of other shipwrecks also lying on the sea floor.

And of course, scientists and historians hope the model will help them better understand the mysteries of what happened on the night the Titanic sank.

😕

This map has not been loaded because of your cookie choices. To view the content, you can accept 'Non-necessary' cookies.

Share:

Settings

Most news on NewsForKids.net is appropriate for all ages. When there is news that may not be suitable for all ages, we try to tag it. You can use the setting below to control whether content tagged in this manner is shown.