For the first time, the world has been granted a remarkably close-up view of the Titanic shipwreck, which sank over a century ago. A team of experts recently ventured to the North Atlantic disaster site, capturing stunning three-dimensional imagery of the wreckage. These images are described as “incredibly detailed, high-resolution” and mark “the first time such an intricate visual record of an object situated deep beneath the ocean’s surface has been achieved.”

The groundbreaking visual documents were displayed in a Virginia courtroom during legal proceedings involving the RMS Corporation, which holds exclusive rights to investigate the Titanic. It is estimated that the six thousand artifacts recovered from the ocean floor are collectively worth over a million pounds, though the costs of search and recovery efforts have been much higher. Accessing the Titanic’s wreckage, located 400 miles off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada, has been extremely challenging due to strong underwater currents and frequent storms. However, this new evidence offers “an unprecedented level of insight into the Titanic’s final resting place,” providing a valuable opportunity to understand and preserve its legacy.