It has been resting on the seabed for more than a hundred years – but in 20 years the “Titanic”, sunk off Newfoundland in 1912, could be completely destroyed. The wreck is decomposed by tiny creatures.
The sinking of the “Titanic” is probably the most famous disaster of seafaring: After the collision with an iceberg on its maiden voyage from Southampton in England to New York, the luxury liner sinks in the night from 14 to 15 April 1912. Around 1500 of the more than 2200 people on board die. Soon the wreck could only be history.
In 1985 the ship was discovered at a depth of 3800 metres at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. In the meantime it is in no good condition – already in 15 to 20 years the remains could have disappeared completely, say researchers. The cause: bacterial iron corrosion.
“The wreck is covered with biofilms and rust,” explains Antje Boetius, marine biologist at the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research in Bremerhaven. A few years ago, researchers discovered a bacterial species called Halomonas titanicae after its location in the rust flakes. “In fact, this bacterium likes to grow at temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius,” said Boetius. “But where the wreck lies, it’s four degrees.”
hole by hole until collapse
In the cold deep sea, the ship remains should therefore actually be protected. In fact, however, the microbes decompose the ship’s walls despite the cold. “They do not slowly remove the surface millimeter by millimeter, but cause pitting corrosion,” says the deep-sea researcher. “This makes the wreck unstable and eventually collapses.
The scientists know the reason for the decomposition of the Unesco World Cultural Heritage: “The bacteria extract electrons from the iron as an energy source in order to grow,” says the professor. “So they live directly from the metal. This electron deprivation causes the metal to rust.
According to Boetius, the consequences of iron corrosion are also dangerous for modern underwater buildings. For example, the bacteria could cause similar damage to underwater oil pipelines as they do to the “Titanic”. “This is a problem in the sea that industry does not like to talk about”, says the scientist.
The chairman of the German Titanic Association in 1997, Malte Fiebing-Petersen, is relaxed about the complete decay of the Titanic. “Nature is taking the ship back. That’s the way of things.” However, the steel is not the same thickness everywhere. The upper decks probably disappeared in 10 to 15 years. The actual hull, however, was made of thicker steel. “We will have the upright bow for many decades to come.”
Taken from Spiegel