The first time Parks Stephenson saw a full-scale digital rendering of the Titanic lying on the ocean floor, he felt like he was looking at the ship in a whole new light — despite having visited the actual wreckage multiple times.
“You can only see so much in the deep with your light and the framing of your camera or your viewport,” Stephenson, a Titanic analyst and deep-ocean explorer, told me over Zoom. But by looking at a life-size 3D model of the ship displayed on towering LED screens, “I was seeing [Titanic] in its entirety for the first time.”
That 3D “digital twin” is the subject of National Geographic’s aptly named Titanic: The Digital Resurrection, which premieres April 11 and will be available to stream on Disney Plus and Hulu starting April 12. The documentary explores the years-long process of piecing together the model using over 700,000 scanned images of the ship. Now, experts like Stephenson can examine the Titanic and surrounding wreckage up close, without diving to the ocean floor — and answer lingering questions about what really happened the night the “practically unsinkable” ship met its fate.
For over 100 years, the Titanic’s sinking has fascinated researchers, experts and the casually inquisitive alike. Countless films, documentaries and books have explored the demise of the famed ship, and theories of what exactly happened in April 1912 have been floated — some debunked while others reinforced.
Survivor testimonies and decades of research have helped to separate fact from fiction, but questions remain. Specifics related to why the Titanic suffered such immense damage are still debated, and a better understanding of how passengers and crew members responded in their final moments has remained elusive. But the ship’s digital twin could help shed light on those mysteries and offer a clearer picture of what really happened when the Titanic struck the iceberg that sent it to the depths of the Atlantic.
“We have the Titanic wreck site frozen in 2022, and from here, we can treat this as an archeological site,” Stephenson says. “It’s a wonderful advance in technology that’s really going to jump-start research into the Titanic.”
The bow of the Titanic Digital Twin, seen from above at forward starboard side.
Already, the 3D renderings have allowed experts to piece together new details. In the documentary, a scan showing a smashed porthole suggests the iceberg the Titanic struck was at least 30 feet above the waterline, offering a better understanding of its magnitude. Simulations reveal the collision lasted 6.3 seconds and that relatively small amounts of damage over a long distance led to the ship’s sinking. Further, closer footage of the boiler rooms suggests hardworking crew kept the power and lighting going until the very end, helping to save hundreds of lives and keep hope afloat in what otherwise would have been instant darkness.
Other discoveries bring the humanity of the disaster into sharp focus. Passenger possessions like a dress, luggage and a doll’s head strewn about the wreckage are sobering reminders of the approximately 1,500 people who died. All of that is replicated in the digital model.
Anthony Geffen, founder of Atlantic Productions and a producer on Titanic: The Digital Resurrection, says the film is just the start of how this digital twin will be used for exploration and learning. Next year, members of the general public will have the opportunity to engage with the digital twin at experiences around the world (exact details on this haven’t been shared yet). Eventually, people may even be able to “visit” the wreck using a virtual or mixed-reality headset at home. Academics will also be given access to the scans.
“This is the beginning of the journey, in a way, for the twin,” Geffen says.
Titanic has captivated the masses since it set sail all those years ago, but public fascination was undoubtedly bolstered by the release of James Cameron’s 1997 blockbuster film Titanic, about two star-crossed lovers aboard the ship. Stephenson, who worked with Cameron on several Titanic-related projects, and Geffen say they shared parts of this project with the famed director and noted ocean explorer.
“[Cameron] said, ‘This is the way — and only way — to look at the Titanic in the future,'” Geffen told me. That may be true, as the Titanic is slowly deteriorating on the ocean floor due to corrosion. Someday, it’ll no longer be there in its physical form.
“This is now something that is frozen in time for all research,” Geffen notes.
The public’s fascination with the Titanic is sure to endure long after any physical evidence of the shipwreck remains. Discoveries, fueled by tech-driven projects like this, will likely keep that interest alive.
“Most people say by now that we know everything we need to know about the ship, but no,” Stephenson says. “We’re actually just beginning.”
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