A revolutionary 3D scan of the Titanic could reveal exactly where she struck an iceberg.
The liner’s wreckage has been captured with 70,000 pictures taken from every angle.
It has revealed the Titanic – which sank in the Atlantic Ocean in 1912 – in astonishing detail.
The liner was lost on its maiden voyage between Southampton and New York.
More than 1,500 passengers were lost.
The ship lies 3,800 metres 400 miles south from Newfoundland, Canada.
It was found in 1985.
Since then, many expeditions have tried to unravel the mystery of that fateful April night.
However, poor visibility has obscured detailed images of the ship.
Now, an exact replica of the Titanic using 3D has started to reveal her secrets.
The bow has been remarkably preserved by the ice-cold water, while the stern which lies 800m (2,600ft) away on the seabed, collapsed as it was driven into the mud.
Gerhard Seiffert, from the company, who led the plans for the project, told BBC News:
“The depth of it at 4,000 metres represents a challenge.
“Also, you have currents at the site, too – and we’re not allowed to touch anything so as not to damage the wreck.
“And the other challenge is that you have to map every square centimetre – even uninteresting parts, like on the debris field you have to map mud, but you need this to fill in between all these interesting objects.”
Titanic expert Parks Stephenson said:
“It allows you to see the wreck as you can never see it from a submersible, and you can see the wreck in its entirety, you can see it in context and perspective.
“And what it’s showing you now is the true state of the wreck.
“We really don’t understand the character of the collision with the iceberg.
“We don’t even know if she hit it along the starboard side, as is shown in all the movies – she might have grounded on the iceberg.”
The wreck is continuing to decay, with microbes taking their toll, but Mr Stephenson said the scan would offer an evergreen look into the “questions, basic questions, that need to be answered about the ship”.
