Back in the mid-90s, James Cameron created for his movie “Titanic” a computer-simulated sinking of the famed ship. At the time, it was the most accurate look at what might have happened on that fateful night in April 1912.
Since then, there’s been all sorts of animated theories as to how the ship split in two after hitting an iceberg (with a 2006 example my favorite). For his new special airing next week on the National Geographic Channel, Cameron decided to revisit his previous CGI simulation and reapply new evidence based on roundtable discussions with Navy engineers and Titanic historians.
“An investigation of this magnitude has never been attempted before, and some of the revelations may alter the fundamental interpretation of what exactly happened to the Titanic on April 14, 1912,” the release states.
That new animation is below. Here are some new things to take away from it:
- Unlike what was represented in the movie “Titanic”, the new theory is that the ship’s stern only raised 23 degrees into the air before breaking away from the bow.
- While Titanic’s gentle sinking without capsizing is an extreme anomaly in maritime disasters, she did list 9 degrees to port.
- When the stern section sank, it actually keeled dramatically over to port.
- While the bow torpedoed to the bottom, the stern actually swirls around violently – shedding materials and becoming barely recognizable by the time it hits bottom.
Of course, these are all best guesses as to what happened nearly 100 years ago. Have a look at the new simulation below.
About Michael dEstries
Michael has been blogging since 2005 on issues such as sustainability, renewable energy, philanthropy, and healthy living. He regularly contributes to a slew of publications, as well as consulting with companies looking to make an impact using the web and social media. He lives in Ithaca, NY with his family on an apple farm.View all posts by Michael dEstries →
