Titanic's famous bow rail has fallen off as the shipwreck slowly decays

New images from the wreck of the Titanic show the historic ship rapidly deteriorating in the murky depths of the Atlantic. But it's not all bad news for the abandoned ship: The latest expedition has captured photos of a beautiful statue that many feared was lost at sea.

RMS Titanic Inc., an Atlanta-based company that holds exclusive rights to salvage the wreck, recently conducted a 20-day expedition to explore the ship's resting place and returned with over 2 million images in the highest resolution yet.

The team also used LiDAR, sonar and a hypermagnetometer to fully document the historic site before it crumbles into dust and rust.

The images show that since the last photo was taken in 2022, a significant portion of the railing around the foredeck of the Bow – where Jack and Rose stood in the 1997 blockbuster – has broken away.

Their cameras also captured the sight of “Diana of Versailles,” a bronze statue last seen in 1986 that most experts feared was destroyed or lost forever. The sculpture was originally located in the Titanic's first-class lounge and was a replica of a larger statue of Diana, the Roman goddess of nature, hunters and animals, known as Artemis in Greek mythology.

“RMS Titanic, Inc. is very pleased to share with us the first images and remarkable discoveries from our 2024 expedition,” said Tomasina Ray, Head of Collections at RMS Titanic Inc., in a statement sent to IFLScience.

“The discovery of the Diana statue was an exciting moment. But we are saddened by the loss of the iconic bow railing and other signs of decay, which have only strengthened our commitment to preserving Titanic's legacy,” Ray added.

The RMS Titanic sank in the icy waters of the North Atlantic on April 15, 1912, after colliding with an iceberg on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England to New York City. Of the 2,240 passengers and crew, only 706 survived.

The wreck site was rediscovered in 1985; it was located about 700 kilometers off the east coast of Canada at a depth of about 3,800 meters below the water surface.

Since 1994, RMS Titanic Inc. has recovered thousands of objects from the site, including numerous maritime relics, porcelain plates, clothing, ornate jewelry and other personal items.

However, no artifacts were recovered in the latest operation, following problems with the law in recent years. Many also questioned whether it was ethical to loot the belongings of people who died in a tragic accident.

The latest project is the first trip to the sunken site since the infamous OceanGate submersible disaster in June 2023. All five people on board died instantly, including RMS Titanic Inc.'s Chief Research Officer Paul-Henri “PH” Nargeolet, who was to lead this latest expedition until his untimely death.

Despite the incident, interest in the doomed ocean liner has not waned. In May 2024, Patrick Lahey – co-founder and CEO of Triton Submarines – and Larry Connor – a 74-year-old real estate investor from Ohio – announced that they plan to travel to the seabed and conduct a scientific survey of the Titanic.