8:00 a.m. — Dr. Anatoly Sagalevitch, scientist, researcher and leader of the expedition, calls the morning Mir meeting. The Mirs are the deep-dive submersibles housed on the starboard side of the boat deck. They are two of only four submersibles on the planet capable of bringing a crew down below 12,500 feet where the
Titanic rests on the ocean floor.
Dr. Sagalevitch announces that the Keldysh is about 50 nautical miles away from station. We should arrive just after lunch. James Cameron questions the tech crew about their readiness to dive tomorrow. One of the trickiest pieces — getting a signal out of the sub's hull, engineered to withstand the tremendous pressure of extreme depth, and to the ROVs — has still not been tested. Cameron establishes that test as the priority of the day; the first dive is now scheduled for tomorrow at 10:00 a.m.
Because the ship's heading has disabled our satellite communications, it's been 36 hours without Internet communications. There's no TV and no radio. Only the ship's crew on the bridge has communication with the mainland. I did manage to place one scratchy phone call to the family late last night thanks to Bob Sitrick, Discovery's vice president of live production, who brought along a handheld satellite telephone. Other than that it's been a communications blackout.
Standing at the port rail on the boat deck I am entertained instead by the pattern on the water cast by the shadows of the cumulus clouds. The uniformity of the blue sea and the circular horizon are strangely comforting. The cold spray in the air awakens me. I miss my family but I am privileged to be here.
11:30 a.m — Once more, James Cameron huddles around the conference table on deck seven with our team of historians and archaeologists, this time going over specific areas of the Titanic wreck that may harbor important historical and forensic revelations. Of specific interest this time is whether boilers one and two were fired up at the time of the accident. There is much debate about whether Titanic Capt. Edward John Smith, in his hope to arrive in New York a day earlier than scheduled, had ordered these additional boilers lit. If we can examine the steel walls of the boilers, we may contribute some truly new information to the historical record.
1:45 p.m. — Finally, the Keldysh slows and we have reached our invisible destination: 41 degrees 43 minutes north latitude and 49 degrees 56 minutes west longitude. More than two miles beneath us is the rusting resting place of more than 1,500 souls. Most of the crew have been here before, so this time there is no ceremony — no flowers thrown over the rail. I am struck with the simple thought of what a lonely death it must have been, to drown in the North Atlantic in the middle of the night.
Without delay James Cameron summons the crew and begins the operation. They prepare a transponder buoy to mark the spot, then quickly hoist Spare RHIB for one last launch and recovery rehearsal. The gray sky blends with the sea, creating the illusion that we are suddenly the center of the universe. Nothing else exists. It's just Cameron and his crew chasing his passion — returning to the ship with which he will be forever linked.
Stephen Reverand is Executive Producer and Vice President of Special Projects for Discovery Channel.
More Expedition Logs: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | Day 8 | Day 9 | Day 10 | Day 11 | Day 12 |
