The Search for the Titanic

It was April 14, 1912. A new ship sped across the Atlantic Ocean. It was called the Titanic.

Stars sparkled in the night sky. The sea was calm. This was the Titanic’s first trip.

But the ship was already famous. It was the biggest ship that had ever been built. It was so fancy that people said it was like a palace on the sea. Many people said it was the safest ship ever made.

And then something terrible happened.

At 11:40 p.m., the Titanic hit an iceberg. An iceberg is a giant piece of ice that floats in the water.

The iceberg ripped open the side of the ship. Water poured into the ship!

The Titanic sank. Some people got away on smaller boats called lifeboats. But many people died.

Would the Titanic ever be seen again?

The Titanic was crossing the ocean on April 14, 1912. It was the ship’s first trip. The ship was famous already. It was big. It was fancy.

Then something terrible happened. The Titanic hit an iceberg. An iceberg is a giant piece of ice in the water.

The Titanic started to fill with water. Some people got away on smaller boats. But many people died. The Titanic sank.

It was April 14, 1912, and a new ship, called the Titanic, sped across the Atlantic Ocean.

Stars sparkled in the night sky, and the sea was calm. This was the Titanic’s first voyage.

The ship was already famous because it was the biggest ship that had ever been built. People compared it to a palace on the sea because the ship was so fancy. Many people said it was the safest ship ever built.

And then something terrible happened.

At 11:40 p.m., the Titanic struck an iceberg, a giant piece of ice floating in the water.

The iceberg ripped open the side of the ship. Water flooded into the ship!

The Titanic sank. Some people got away on smaller boats called lifeboats, but many people died.

Would the Titanic ever be seen again?

Years passed. No one found the Titanic. It was on the bottom of the ocean, and nobody had been to the bottom of the ocean before. Humans can’t survive deep underwater on their own.

But over time, people came up with new ways to explore the ocean. In 1960, scientists invented a special submarine. They called it a submersible. It could go deep down into the ocean!

A scientist named Robert Ballard loved the new submersibles. He went deep underwater in them. He saw amazing things! He saw fish with no eyes, giant tubeworms, and huge clams.

There was something else he wanted to find. It was the Titanic.

The Titanic was on the bottom of the ocean for a long time. People couldn’t find it. The ocean was too deep.

Over time, people came up with a new way to explore the ocean. In 1960, scientists invented a special submarine. They called it a submersible. It could go deep down into the ocean!

Years passed. No one could find the Titanic. It was on the bottom of the ocean, but nobody could reach it. Humans can’t survive under water that deep on their own.

Over time, people came up with new ways to explore the ocean, and in 1960, scientists invented a special submarine, called a submersible. It could go deep down into the ocean!

A scientist named Robert Ballard loved the new submersibles. He went deep underwater in them and saw amazing things! He saw fish with no eyes, giant tubeworms, and huge clams.

There was something else he wanted to find—the Titanic.

Robert Ballard had always loved the ocean. As a little boy, he collected shells on the beach. As a teenager, he learned how to scuba dive in the ocean.

When he was in his 20s, he began to learn about the Titanic. It was the most famous shipwreck in the world. No one had found it yet. Wouldn’t it be amazing to finally find it?

As time went on, Robert learned more and more about the ship. He learned about the people who were on it. He wanted to find the Titanic because he cared about those people.

Robert Ballard was a scientist. He loved the new submersibles. He went deep underwater in them. He saw amazing things!

He wanted to find the Titanic.

Robert Ballard had always loved the ocean. When he was a little boy, he collected shells on the beach, and as a teenager he learned how to scuba dive in the ocean.

When he was in his 20s, he began to learn about the Titanic, the most famous shipwreck in the world. No one had found it yet. Wouldn’t it be amazing to finally find it?

As time went on, Robert learned more and more about the ship. He learned about the people who were on it, and he wanted to find the Titanic to honor them.

Robert and his team built a new kind of submersible. It could be controlled from far away. A human didn’t need to be inside.

This submersible had cameras that took pictures and videos. People in a ship above could watch the cameras. They called the submersible Argo.

Robert built a new kind of submersible. He called it Argo. It could be controlled from far away. A human did not need to be inside it.

It had cameras that took pictures and videos. People could see the pictures from a ship above the water.

Robert and his team built a new kind of submersible that could be controlled from a distance. A human didn’t need to be inside.

This submersible had cameras that captured pictures and videos. The cameras could be observed by people in the ship above the water. They called the submersible Argo.

Robert was ready to look for the Titanic.

In 1985, he and his team took off. They sailed to the place where they thought the Titanic had sunk.

They sent Argo down to the bottom of the ocean. Its cameras clicked and buzzed. In a ship above, Robert and his team watched as pictures came onto the screen. Argo worked perfectly!

Argo took videos of many things. There were rocks. There were fish. There were plants.

But there was no Titanic.

Robert was ready to look for the Titanic. In 1985, he went to the place where he thought the Titanic had sunk. The Argo took videos of many things. But there was no Titanic.

Robert was ready to look for the Titanic.

In 1985, he and his team took off and sailed to the place where they thought the Titanic had sunk.

They sent Argo down to the bottom of the ocean. Its cameras clicked and buzzed. In a ship above, Robert and his team watched as pictures came onto the screen. Argo worked perfectly!

Argo took videos of many things­—rocks, fish, and plants. But there was no Titanic.

Two weeks went by. Robert was upset. Soon the team would run out of time. They would have to give up and go home. Would he ever find the Titanic?

Then someone on his team called him. He rushed to see what was happening. Everyone was staring at a screen. It showed what Argo saw.

There was a huge metal object on the screen. Robert was so happy. He knew what he was looking at. It was a part of the Titanic!

Soon the team saw more. They saw windows of a ship. They saw a part of the ship’s staircase. They had done it!

Robert and his team made amazing discoveries. They found many parts of the Titanic. They found dishes, shoes, and jewels from the ship on the ocean floor.

But they didn’t take any of that. Robert felt that the ship was like a grave. He wanted to honor the memory of those who had lost their lives so long ago.

Robert was upset. Would he ever find the Titanic?

One day, his team called him to look at the screen. There was a huge metal object on the screen. It was a part of the Titanic!

They had done it!

Robert and his team found the Titanic. They also found dishes, shoes, and jewels from the ship.

They didn’t take anything. They wanted to honor the memory of those who died.

Two weeks went by, and Robert was upset. Soon the team would run out of time, and they would have to give up and go home. Would he ever find the Titanic?

Then someone on his team called him. He rushed to see what was happening and found everyone staring at the screen. It showed what Argo had found.

There was a huge metal object on the screen. Robert was so happy because he knew what he was looking at. It was a part of the Titanic!

Soon the team saw more. They saw windows of a ship and part of the ship’s staircase. They had done it!

Robert and his team made amazing discoveries. They found the Titanic on the ocean floor. They also found dishes, shoes, and jewels from the ship.

But they didn’t take any of that. Robert felt that the ship was like a grave. He wanted to honor the memory of those who had lost their lives so long ago.