This digital model (left) provides a clear look at what remains of the Titanic (right).

Magellan Ltd. (Titanic scan); Popperfoto via Getty Images (Titanic in 1912)

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A New View

A new 3-D model gives the most detailed look ever at the Titanic wreckage. What secrets does it reveal? 

September 29, 2025
By Cailin Loesch

As You Read, Think About: Why are people so fascinated by the Titanic?

Topical Press Agency/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

William Murdoch

It was dark and cold in the early hours of April 15, 1912. The Titanic was sinking fast. First Officer William Murdoch rushed to help passengers into lifeboats before the ship plunged beneath the waves. But he was swept into the icy Atlantic Ocean. Murdoch was one of the more than 1,500 people who died in the disaster.

For more than a century, people have been fascinated by the doomed ship. They include researcher Ross Mumford, who works for RMS Titanic Inc. (RMST). The company has made nine trips to the Titanic wreckage. RMST is the caretaker of all the artifacts recovered from the ocean floor, including clothing and jewelry. These objects have helped researchers piece together the events of the tragedy.

“It’s not just a shipwreck,” says Mumford. “It’s a real-life puzzle that people of all ages are still trying to solve.”

Now a new 3-D digital model of the wreckage is uncovering secrets about what happened on the ship’s final night.

Searching for the Titanic
Watch a video about the search for this famous shipwreck.

Deep Dive

In 1912, the Titanic was celebrated as the biggest and safest ship ever built. When it set sail on its first voyage on April 10, the passengers and crew were excited to be part of history. But four days later, the Titanic hit an iceberg. Over the next few hours, the ship broke apart and sank. Only about 705 people survived. 

In the decades since, salt water, ocean currents, and microscopic organisms have eaten away at the Titanic. A company called Magellan wanted to capture the full wreck before it decays further. In 2022, Magellan sent two remote-operated vehicles (ROVs) 12,500 feet into the Atlantic Ocean. For three weeks, the ROVs took videos and photos of every inch of the ship and the surrounding seafloor. 

Surprising Findings

Jim McMahon/Mapman®

The Magellan team spent a year using about 715,000 scans to create a life-sized 3-D model of the Titanic. After two more years of analyzing the ship’s virtual twin, experts have new details about the Titanic’s final hours.

One of the biggest findings is what caused the ship to sink. Experts used advanced technology to simulate the crash into the iceberg. The ship was built to stay afloat even if four of its compartments flooded. The simulation showed that six compartments had gashes torn into them. Some of the holes were only about the size of a sheet of loose-leaf paper.

Researchers also used the model to study the area around the wreck. They noticed big pieces of the ship’s hull, or frame, scattered across the seafloor. That shows that the Titanic didn’t split neatly in two, as many experts had previously thought. Instead, it violently ripped apart.

The model has also led some people to think differently about Murdoch. In 1912, news reports accused him of being a coward who had abandoned his post. But the model shows the remains of a davit—a crane that moves lifeboats—near where Murdoch was last seen. Its position suggests that he was bravely preparing to launch one last lifeboat before he was swept away. 

Living On

Researchers say the model is so detailed that they can learn from it for years to come. Thanks to this digital Titanic twin, the shipwreck will live on forever.

“The Titanic is about more than just history,” Mumford says. “It’s the story of 2,208 lives. And even after more than 100 years, there’s still so much to learn.”

What Do You Think?

More than 5,500 artifacts have been removed from the Titanic wreck. Some say it’s wrong to remove these items, since they’re part of a gravesite. But others argue that the objects help us learn about and remember those who died. 

Roslan Rahman/AFP via Getty Images

These boots belonged to Titanic passenger William Henry Allen. They were found in the wreckage. 

1. What do you think researcher Ross Mumford means when he calls the Titanic a “real-life puzzle that people of all ages are still trying to solve”?

2. Why do experts say that the Titanic wreckage could disappear in the next few decades?

3. Summarize the main ideas of the section “Surprising Findings.”

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