The wreck of the Titanic is rapidly collapsing as bacteria and salt corrode the staterooms and officers’ quarters, surveyors in a mini-submarine have said.
The team reports that the porcelain bathtub used by Captain Edward Smith, who went down with the liner on its maiden voyage in 1912, has disappeared. Photographs published in 2011 showed the bathtub in remarkably good condition, suggesting that the wreck has deteriorated significantly since then.
Caladan Oceanic, the exploration company that recently visited the wreck more than 3,500m below the surface, said the hull near the officers’ quarters on the starboard side of the ship had started to collapse.
Parks Stephenson, a Titanic historian advising the company, said that the deterioration of the ship was shocking.
“That whole deck
