--- title: Titanic Shipwreck Photos: See Original Images from 1985 description: The long-lost shipwreck was found 30 years ago canonical: https://time.com/4008791/titanic-wreck-photos/ author: Lily Rothman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-09-01T11:00:19.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:41:31.870Z article:section: History og:title: Titanic Shipwreck Photos: See Original Images from 1985 og:description: The long-lost shipwreck was found 30 years ago og:url: https://time.com/4008791/titanic-wreck-photos/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt41a0e1dec1f28e2d/698860a7e20a87b2bca8ce90/150824-titanic-wreckage-01.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Prow of the Titanic og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Titanic Shipwreck Photos: See Original Images from 1985 twitter:description: The long-lost shipwreck was found 30 years ago twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt41a0e1dec1f28e2d/698860a7e20a87b2bca8ce90/150824-titanic-wreckage-01.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # See Photos of the Wreck of the _Titanic_ When It Was First Discovered ## Video: Search Continues for Missing Underwater Titanic Tourist Vessel [Watch (HLS stream): Search Continues for Missing Underwater Titanic Tourist Vessel](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/cWKkuxFA.m3u8) (2:46)  _Published 2023-06-20. Rescuers in a remote area of the Atlantic Ocean raced against time early Tuesday to find the missing craft carrying five people on a mission to document the wreckage of the Titanic._  by [Lily Rothman](https://time.com/author/lily-rothman/)  ## Lily Rothman Rothman is managing editor at TIME. Sep 1, 2015 11:00 AM UTC  ca. 1985 --- The prow of the HMS Titanic, as she lies on the Atlantic Ocean floor south of Newfoundland. ca. 1985 --- The prow of the HMS Titanic, as she lies on the Atlantic Ocean floor south of Newfoundland.Ralph White—Corbis  by [Lily Rothman](https://time.com/author/lily-rothman/)  ## Lily Rothman Rothman is managing editor at TIME. Sep 1, 2015 11:00 AM UTC When the _Titanic_ sank in 1912, the famous ship wasn’t exactly sailing in obscurity. Yet it took decades before the wreckage was discovered. It wasn’t until Sept. 1, 1985—30 years ago Tuesday—that scientists, after years and years of searching, found what they were looking for. As shown by these photos, taken that year and shortly after, the ship was in surprisingly good condition considering the time that had passed. Robert Ballard, the leader of the discovery expedition, told TIME that month that the ocean had shielded the grand liner and kept it a “museum piece.” But the find was exciting for more than the Titanic’s history. As TIME explained, the discovery proved that the rest of the ocean’s mysteries were now fair game: --- > “” --- **_Read more from 1985, here in the TIME Vault:_** [After 73 Years, a _Titanic_ Find](http://time.com/vault/issue/1985-09-16/page/90/) --- ### More from TIME ---  ca. 1985 --- The prow of the HMS Titanic, as she lies on the Atlantic Ocean floor south of Newfoundland. Ralph White—Corbis  ca. 1985 --- The insides of a power turbine of the Titanic lie on the Atlantic Ocean floor south of Newfoundland. Ralph White—Corbis  ca. 1985 --- China dishes are part of the debris left from the wreck of the Titanic, as she lies on the Atlantic Ocean floor south of Newfoundland. Ralph White—Corbis  ca.1986 - An officer's cabin window on the Titanic's boat deck starboard side. AP Photo  ca.1987-1991 --- Starboard Wing Propeller from Titanic Shipwreck. Ralph White—Corbis  ca.1987-1991 --- The low pressure cylinder head of the port steam engine of the shipwrecked Titanic. Ralph White—Corbis  ca.1987-1991 --- Cooking Pots from Titanic Shipwreck. Ralph White—Corbis  ca.1987-1991 --- An electric meter for the electric light from the compass of the Titanic was recovered from the shipwreck. Ralph White—Corbis  ca.1987-1991 --- The stoking ports of a boiler in the debris field of the shipwrecked Titanic. 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