Bow

00:00 - MIR-1 is positioned on the forward port side of the Boat Deck, just aft of the forward davit from the #2 lifeboat station. An IPSCO SRB-BART experiment platform has been clutched by the starboard manipulator arm. The submersible pilot moves the test platform closer to the camera for observation and documentation of new rusticle growth. Fragments of decayed wood litter the deck around the platform, and a section of rope lies amid the rubble. While rope has not survived in many places on board Titanic, there are some lengths of rope that have been found intact when lying in close proximity to iron. This section has likely been preserved by the plating beneath the decayed wood.

00:16 - The camera pans to view the test platform as the manipulator moves it closer in to the viewport. In the background, the rope seen previously can be seen trailing towards the base of the forward davit from the #2 lifeboat station.

00:19 - The camera zooms in on the platform and tracks it from top to bottom, observing the amount of rust which has grown on different test materials. SRB-BART is an acronym for Sulfate Reducing Bacteria - Biological Activity Reaction Test. The platforms you see in this video are a series of SRB-BART experiments mounted in a platform constructed by IPSCO and placed at the wreck site on a previous expedition. You can read much more about the testing which was conducted using these platforms in our articles section, where we have provided multiple articles which detail both the processes used to conduct these experiments and a detailed analysis of the results by Dr. Lori Johnston and Dr. Roy Cullimore It is worth noting, however, that Dr. Johnston and Dr. Cullimore's article is an analysis of these same tests being conducted in 1996. One of the platforms discussed in that article was left at the site for further testing, and is seen in this clip, but the article in our archive is an analysis of somewhat preliminary results.

01:20 - As the camera continues to analyze the test platform, the base of the #2 lifeboat davit can be seen in the background. Notable is the exceptional condition of the threaded rod used to crank the davit in and out. This rod is made of a nonferrous metal and is not subject to corrosion by iron eating bacteria.

01:49 - The guardrail of the port side officer's staircase is visible on the right of the frame. The right side has collapsed in towards the stairwell under the weight of the collapsed officers quarters bulwark. The bulwark rested on this guardrail until the late 1990's, when it collapsed to the deck below.

02:20 - Having finished the inspection of this platform, MIR-1's manipulator places it back on the deck. It falls face down, and MIR-1 maneuvers to return it to its upright position.

03:06 - The test platform is returned to its upright position.

03:57 - The #2 davit showcases another example of rope preserved by its proximity to ferrous metal. On of it's falls has wrapped around the base of the cranked out arm and is almost completely intact.

04:18 - The fallen port bulwark of the officers quarters is seen on the deck. It seems to be much more intact than the starboard bulwark, which has collapsed and fallen apart, leaving a pile of oxidized metal fragments and window frames on the deck.

04:29 - The bulwark has separated where it flays out from its original position. The remaining portion sits angled out from its upright position.

05:29 MIR-1 passes over the foremost end of the superstructure.

08:15 - The submersible descends near the port side of the forecastle.