The Actual Railing from Titanic’s Most Iconic Scene Collapses as the Wreck Deteriorates

Based on the last visit to the sunken vessel, the Titanic ship only has so much longer before it truly becomes a shell of itself.

The Titanic sank on April 15, 1912, and explorers discovered the wreck site in 1985. An American company called RMS Titanic Inc. has been exploring the ship for nearly 40 years since. In 1994, they obtained exclusive rights to salvage artifacts from the Titanic. 

The company’s latest investigation featured ocean imaging experts, oceanographers, scientists, and historians, and they found notable signs of decay impacting rail that once lined the front of the ship’s upper deck. 

That very same railing is famously depicted in the 1997 Titanic film—it’s where Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio) holds Rose (Kate Winslet) as she stands with outstretched arms at the ship’s bow while “My Heart Will Go On” plays. A 15-foot section is now at the bottom of the ocean. 

A statement by the RMS Titanic Inc. said the decay is “saddening” but something that is “inevitable.” The company hopes to ramp up its preservation dives over the next few weeks and months before it’s too late. 

On the bright side, one positive discovery was a two-foot-tall bronze statue of a Roman goddess, Diana. The artifact once adorned a fireplace mantle in the ship’s first-class lounge. Before this latest expedition, its whereabouts were unknown. Researchers found it among a pile of debris. The statement celebrated the finding: “Like the eternal Roman deities, she is timeless,” it said.

In June 2023, OceanGate’s Titan submarine was set to visit the Titanic shipwreck before it tragically experienced a catastrophic implosion. The mission was for the five people aboard the vessel to have an up-close and personal view of the 1912 shipwreck.