Human remains may be in mud at Titanic site

Human remains may be embedded in the mud of the North Atlantic where the Titanic came to rest when it sank 100 years ago.

A 2004 photograph, released to the public for the first time yesterday in an uncropped version to coincide with the disaster’s centenary, shows a coat and boots in the mud at the shipwreck site.

“These are not shoes that fell out neatly from somebody’s bag right next to each other,” said James Delgado, the director of maritime heritage at the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration.

The way they are laid out makes a compelling case that it is where a body has come to rest, he said.

The image, along with two others showing pairs of boots resting next to each other, were taken during an expedition led by famed Titanic finder Robert Ballard, also of the administration, in 2004. They were published in Ballard’s book on the expedition. Delgado said the one showing a coat and boots was cropped to show only a boot.

Ballard also photographed a comb. “I often wonder what the daughter’s face looked like as the mother combed her hair,” he said.

Film director James Cameron, who has visited the wreck 33 times, said he had seen “zero human remains” during his extensive explorations of the Titanic. “We’ve seen shoes. We’ve seen pairs of shoes, which would strongly suggest there was a body there at one point. But we’ve never seen any human remains.”

Meanwhile, Ballard has said an underwater museum should be made from the Titanic wreck.

The site in the North Atlantic off the Canadian coast enjoys Unesco protection, and Ballard said internet technology could relay images live to audiences all over the world.

Ballard found the wreck in 1985 after painstakingly combing the seabed with a French colleague. “My vision is to turn the Titanic into a museum, accessible by internet,” he said.

He advocated painting the hull with preservative to prevent corrosion and hold the ship together. Sediment is protecting the bow and he opposed excavating it.

“If we can hold it together you are creating an underwater museum. As far as I am concerned, it is a piece of cake.”

He warned that exploring the vessel was like going into a big black hole and it was easy to become disorientated.

He described an alarming moment: “We are four decks down and the robot turns and light comes on — talk about having a heart attack.” The team realised the light from their high-tech submarine was being shone back at them, reflected from a chandelier.

He said part of the deck has been damaged by numerous submarines landing on it. “You do not stick your finger in the Mona Lisa when you visit the Louvre.”