In 1978, The Walt Disney Company and National Geographic magazine considered mounting a joint expedition to find the Titanic, using the aluminium submersible Aluminaut. The Titanic would have been well within the submersible's depth limits, but the plans were abandoned for financial reasons. [13] When scientists were able to retrieve a rusticle, it was discovered that it was far more complex than had been imagined, with complex systems of roots infiltrating the metal, interior channels, bundles of fibres, pores and other structures. Charles Pellegrino comments that they seem more akin to "levels of tissue organization found in sponges or mosses and other members of the animal or plant kingdoms." [125] The bacteria are estimated to be consuming the Titanic 's hull at the rate of 400 pounds (180kg) per day, which is about 17 pounds (7.7kg) per hour or 4 + 1⁄ 2 ounces (130 grams) per minute. Roy Collimore, a microbiologist, estimates that the bow alone now supports some 650 tons of rusticles, [108] and that they will have devoured 50% of the hull within 200 years. [107]

As it prepared to embark on its maiden voyage, RMS Titanic was one of the most opulent ships in the world, designed for comfort rather than speed. Its immense hull was the largest movable manmade object at that time, having a gross registered tonnage of 46,328 tons. RMS Titanic Maritime Memorial of Preservation Act of 2007" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 May 2010 . Retrieved 21 June 2010. A large V-shaped section of the ship just aft of midships, running from the keel upwards through Number 1 Boiler Room and upwards to cover the area under funnel numbers three and four, was believed to have disintegrated entirely when the ship broke up. This was one of the weakest parts of the ship as a result of the presence of two large open spaces– the forward end of the engine room and the aft First Class passenger staircase. The rest of this part of the ship is scattered across the seabed at distances of 130 to 260 feet (40 to 80m) from the main part of the stern. [100] McGlone, Tim (14 August 2010). "Norfolk judge grants salvage award for Titanic artifacts". The Virginian-Pilot. Archived from the original on 21 January 2012 . Retrieved 15 March 2012.Serway, Raymond A.; Jewett, John W. (2006). Principles of Physics: A Calculus-Based Text, Volume 1. Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning. ISBN 978-0-534-49143-7. Unseen Titanic – Interactive: The Crash Scene". National Geographic. 17 October 2002. Archived from the original on 30 March 2018 . Retrieved 17 August 2012. a b c d e Brace, Matthew (30 August 1996). "Real-life drama unfolds as Titanic raised after 84 years". The Independent. Independent Digital News & Media Ltd. Archived from the original on 7 May 2022.

The Titanic Story: Timeline For 2001". Titanic Heritage Trust. Archived from the original on 24 October 2010 . Retrieved 9 March 2012. The longest-lasting inhabitants of the Titanic are likely to be bacteria and archaea that have colonised the metal hull of the ship. They have produced "reddish-brown stalactites of rust [hanging] down as much as several feet, looking like long needle-like icicles", as Ballard has put it. The formations, which Ballard dubbed " rusticles", are extremely fragile and disintegrate in a cloud of particles if touched. [124] The bacteria consume the iron in the hull, oxidising it and leaving rust particles behind as a waste product. To protect themselves from the seawater, they secrete an acidic viscous slime that flows where gravity takes it, carrying ferric oxides and hydroxides. These form the rusticles. [118] The Bancroft Titanic could just as easily be displayed in a prestigious museum as it could be found sailing in your local RC marina. Modelers may also customize this large vessel with smoke and lighting effects. Ballard, Robert D. (2008). Archaeological Oceanography. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0-691-12940-2.In 2001, an American couple—David Leibowitz and Kimberly Miller [65]—caused controversy when they were married aboard a submersible that had set down on the bow of the Titanic, in a deliberate echo of a famous scene from James Cameron's 1997 film. The wedding was essentially a publicity stunt, sponsored by a British company called SubSea Explorer which had offered a free dive to the Titanic that Leibowitz had won. He asked whether his fiancée could come too and was told that she could—but only if she agreed to get married during the trip. [66] Scovazzi, Tullio (2003). "The Application of "Salvage Law and Other Rules of Admiralty" ". In Garabello, Roberta; Scovazzi, Tullio (eds.). The protection of the underwater cultural heritage: before and after the 2001 UNESCO Convention. Leiden: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. ISBN 978-90-411-2203-2. Handwerk, Brian (18 August 2010). "Titanic Is Falling Apart". National Geographic Magazine. Archived from the original on 14 February 2018 . Retrieved 7 March 2012.

For an overall discussion of the history of the salvage legal proceedings, see R.M.S. Titanic, Inc. v. Haver, 171 F.3d 943 (4th Cir. Va. 1999), and related opinions. Ballard, Robert D. (1987). The Discovery of the Titanic . New York: Warner Books. ISBN 978-0-446-51385-2. Ballard, Robert D. (October 1987). "Epilogue for Titanic". National Geographic Magazine. Vol.172, no.4. pp.454–463. Extensive research of original plans, historical drawings and paintings as well as actual photographs ensures the highest possible accuracyPress: Suddenly, Now! Is Never". Time. 11 May 1981. Archived from the original on 13 November 2007 . Retrieved 23 June 2023. All windows and portholes exactly sized and positioned according to the original RMS Titanic construction plans

Ballard, Robert D.; Hively, Will (2002). The Eternal Darkness: A Personal History of Deep-Sea Exploration. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0-691-09554-7.a b Maxa, Kathleen (21 June 1981). "The Texas Tycoon in Search of the Titanic". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 5 October 2022 . Retrieved 2 July 2021.