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3 months ago
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Even after a century beneath the water, the Titanic's bow remains one of the most magnificent and haunting sights in the ocean.
However, a new survey of the wreck site has revealed that the railing, made famous by Jack and Rose, has now collapsed into rust.
Haunting images snapped by underwater robots through the years show the great ship's bow has gradually eroded.
Experts say that its metal construction and frequent human visits mean it is only a matter of time before the Titanic collapses.
Dr Rodrigo Pacheco-Ruiz, archaeological data manager for HMS Victory and maritime archaeologist from the University of Southampton, told MailOnline: 'The realistic view is that because she's such a big metal object, she won't be there for very long.'
Haunting pictures reveal how the Titanic's iconic bow has decayed in the 37 years between 1987 and 2010
Between July and August two ROVs descended to the Titanic and found that the bow of the ship is now beginning to collapse
Earlier this week, RMS Titanic Inc, the company which holds the salvage rights for the ship, released new images and footage of the sunken liner.
Videos and images recorded by Remote Operated Vehicles (ROVs) captured shocking evidence of just how fast the ship was deteriorating.
Most noticeably, a 4.5m (15ft) section of the front railing appeared to have vanished from the bow of the boat.
Later, 3D scans of the surrounding area revealed that the rail had collapsed and fallen as one piece to the ocean floor.
The Titanic sank to its current resting place on April 15, 1912 - leading to the deaths of 1,500 passengers and crew.
Since then, it has remained almost unchanged at 3,800 metres (12,500ft) beneath the waves at a site off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada.
An expedition to the Titanic site this summer revealed that the railings made famous by Jack and Rose in the film had collapsed at some point in the last two years
For the last 110 years, the wreck of the Titanic has lain 350 nautical miles off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada
This railing was made famous by the scenes starring Leonardo Dicaprio and Kate Winslet as Jack and Rose in the 1997 film Titanic (pictured)
When explorers first located the wreck in 1985, they were shocked to discover that the front railing and bow of the great ship were still remarkably well preserved.
However, as these pictures reveal, each subsequent expedition to the wreck has revealed more deterioration.
Dr Pacheco-Ruiz explains that the salty, oxygen-rich waters of the North Atlantic Ocean are particularly bad for the metal structure of the Titanic.
As the metal is exposed to this chemically active environment, the iron in the ship oxidises and forms thick flakes of iron oxide.
Comparing the images taken in the 1990s to the one taken in 2010, you can see how long stalactites of rust called 'rusticles' have built up on the railing.
The Titanic's metal construction makes it especially vulnerable to decay in the salt waters of the North Pacific. You can see that between 1993 (left) and 2010 (right), large stalactites of rust have developed on the bow
Much of the ship is currently still intact but experts warn that the wrought iron rivets holding it together are eroding extremely fast
'That's basically the iron in the railing pouring out of the gunwale and creating layers of iron oxide and that's weakening the metal,', Dr Pacheco-Ruiz explains.
While the collapse of the front railing is saddening, these pictures also hint at a far bigger problem.
The sheets of metal used to construct the Titanic's body were made of mild steel, yet the rivets used to fasten them together were all wrought iron.
Dr Pacheco-Ruiz says: 'Wrought iron is probably one of the worst materials to be in the water because it oxidises very quickly and easily.
'The problem with the Titanic is because it's all constructed with wrought iron bolts, once they lose their integrity the mild steel plates will start subsiding and start collapsing.'
The Titanic's mild steel plating has survived well due to the cold and darkness at the bottom of the ocean, but experts say it is now more fragile than it appears
Constant visits to the Titanic wreck site may be accelerating the ship's demise as changes to the water column push and pull the fragile structure
Since 1994, RMS Titanic Inc has owned the exclusive salvage rights to the wreck, making it the only organisation legally allowed to remove objects.
In that time, the company claims to have removed 'thousands' of pieces from the wreck over nine separate expeditions.
In addition, approximately 250 people have visited the site as part of tourist operations like Ocean Gate and other archaeological projects.
While many of these expeditions are done in the name of studying the Titanic, constant visits to the site are only hastening its eventual demise.
'Unfortunately, human agency is probably the thing that is damaging the site most,' Dr Pacheco-Ruiz says explained.
'We are very destructive in our visits because we don't really understand the fragility of these types of wrecks.'
As ROVs or other submersibles move around the wreck they push water over the fragile structure and as items are gathered, contact with the ship is inevitable.
Sadly, experts say that Titanic is inevitably doomed to collapse at some point in the future.
Dr Pacheco-Ruiz added: 'It's very hard to say when it will happen, but it definitely not as sturdy as it looks.'
