New Theories About the Titanic
Feb. 21, 2006 — -- A recent expedition to the wreckage of the Titanic led to a shocking discovery.
"This ship didn't split apart because it sank," said John Chatterton, a co-host of the History Channel's "Deep Sea Detectives." "It sank because it split apart. And if you're the person onboard a ship, having it split apart is even scarier than having it slowly sink."
Chatterton and his co-host, Richie Kohler, set out on an expedition to research the legendary ocean liner last summer. They encountered two huge sections of the bottom -- 60 feet by 90 feet -- from the area where the ship had split in two. That led to a new theory about how the Titanic had sunk.
This weekend, the History Channel will air the documentary "The Titanic's Final Moments" based on the new information.
Using Russian deep-sea submersibles, the expedition was on its final day with no sign of its target: the ship's massive bottom structure, called the keel. So Kohler and Chatterton headed to a remote debris field. With the clock running out, they were shocked by what they found.
The usual explanation of the Titanic disaster says the ship, which was traveling between Southampton, England, and New York City, hit an iceberg on its right side, which opened a huge gash. As the front filled with water, the rear flew high in the air, as seen in James Cameron's movie "Titanic."
The ship had more than 2,220 people onboard -- 1,513 of whom died. About 700 made it off in life boats.
The expedition says the new evidence paints a different picture. The ship also tore open its bottom against the submerged section of the iceberg. As it filled with water from the side and below, it was literally ripped apart by the opposing forces.
"We saw that the bottom of the ship we recovered was from exactly where the ship ripped in half," Chatterton said.
Related Stories
ABC News Live