The Titanic was discovered in 1985, some 73 years after it sank. In August, Robert Ballard, working with the Institut Français de Recherche pour l’Exploitation de la Mer (IFREMER; French Research Institute for the Exploitation of the Sea), led an expedition from aboard the U.S. Navy research ship Knorr. The quest was partly a means for testing the Argo, a 16-foot (5-meter) submersible sled equipped with a remote-controlled camera that could transmit live images to a monitor. The submersible was sent some 12,500 feet (3,810 meters)—or 2.4 miles (3.9 km)—to the floor of the Atlantic Ocean. On September 1, 1985, the first underwater images of the Titanic were recorded as its giant boilers were discovered. Later video showed the ship lying upright in two pieces. While the bow was clearly recognizable, the stern section was severely damaged.
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