It’s been over one hundred years since the ‘unsinkable’ Titanic disappeared into the depths of the Atlantic Ocean, carrying thousands of travellers who wanted to see the world, and people have one question they need answered.
While many have probably already watched the film of the same name and think they might know enough about the sinking to get by, there’s really a lot that has been left unknown until recently.
For those who attempted to see the Titanic wreckage for themselves, it has been an incredibly harrowing site.
However, they all noticed the same thing about the underwater site.
Setting your eyes on the ruins of the ship, you might see dishes, shoes, furniture and treasures, but… you won’t see any skeletons.
While it’s estimated that 1,517 people lost their lives after the ship reportedly hit an iceberg and sank back in 1912, not a single body was found on the ocean floor.
You’ll see a lot at the Titanic site (AFP via Getty Images)
A large number of people were left in the sea, struggling to float while others were left trapped inside the vessel, whose bodies could not be swept away by currents.
Despite being trapped within, images of the wreckage show there are no skeletons to be found amongst the debris.
The reason for this comes down to the depth at which the wreckage came to rest, 3,800 metres down in the Atlantic Ocean.
While bacteria in the deep ocean is capable of extracting nutrients from bones, therefore removing some of the remains of passengers, another reason for the lack of skeletons is down to the chemical composition of the seawater, which changes as you descend further into the depths.
Deep sea explorer Robert Ballard, who first discovered the Titanic’s wreck in 1985, explained that below a certain depth, water actually dissolves bones.
Explaining: “The water in the deep sea is under saturated in calcium carbonate, which is mostly, you know, what bones are made of.
But no skeletons (Mathieu Polak/Sygma/ Sygma via Getty Images)
“For example, on the Titanic and on the Bismarck, those ships are below the calcium carbonate compensation depth, so once the critters eat their flesh and expose the bones, the bones dissolve.
“Now in the Black Sea, because there’s no critters to eat, the bones should not be exposed. So you should have perfectly mummified fossils.”
The ship sank with furniture and belongings on board. (-/AFP via Getty Images)
Internet users were left stunned at this realisation, with some taking to Reddit to share their surprise.
One person wrote: “I thought they’d be squished into jelly…”
Another said: “Wait, since when do dead people sink?” while a third added: “The sea is human broth, confirmed?”
There’s an image I bet you could have lived without.
But while there are no skeletons on the Titanic, there is evidence of the passengers who were once on board in the form of their shoes.
The treated leather of shoes resists the effect of the chemical composition – meaning all that’s left of those who died are the shoes they were wearing on that fateful day.
