The Titanic's Guggenheim State Rooms | Back to the Titanic

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NARRATOR: The sub will dive to the wreck site, travel over the bow, then out across the debris field, searching for the mysterious piece of metal. Here comes the water attempt.

TOM: Are you ready?

TOM: Yeah, roger that, my hatch is secure.

NARRATOR: Roger that, hatch secure, here we go.

TOM: Roger that. If we could get a little bit more on there.

NARRATOR: If Parks's theory is correct, it'll be an incredible discovery, connecting a family across generations. Cleared to go ahead and start pumping. There goes the submerge.

[radio chatter]

This is the LF, go ahead?

You're cleared to start pumping.

[radio chatter]

It's clear. I have armed thrusters. We are beginning to pump in now.

NARRATOR: The sub begins its long descent. Benjamin Guggenheim was born into a wealthy mining family in Philadelphia in 1865. He was 47 years old when Titanic sank, leaving behind a wife and three young daughters.

SURFACE LF: Depth 3805, heading 310. Life support good. Wreck on sonar.

NARRATOR: Roger that, LF. Understand 3805 meters heading 310 degrees, with life support good and wreck on sonar. Congratulations.

NARRATOR: The sub has reached the wreck site.

PARKS STEPHENSON: God, it's murky.

VICTOR VESCOVO: You can look down there and see for--

[interposing voices]

PARKS STEPHENSON: I can see it, yeah. Actually, the visibility is better looking down.

(LAUGHING)

PARKS STEPHENSON: Yes it is. There's the Marconi room, one of the windows, one of the skylights.

VICTOR VESCOVO: Oh, let's see here.

NARRATOR: Before searching for the remains of the Guggenheim state rooms, the team films additional footage of other important features for later analysis, including the area around the captain's quarters.

PARKS STEPHENSON: OK, I can barely see it. Barely see it, and yeah, it's devastated. I see a glimpse of the tub.

NARRATOR: Next, the team turns their attention to the search for Guggenheim's staterooms. The debris field is 15 square miles in size. Finding a single piece of metal is like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

PARKS STEPHENSON: Is this the bigger piece?

VICTOR VESCOVO: No, it's not the bigger piece. What is this?

PARKS STEPHENSON: I don't think it's Guggenheim either.

NARRATOR: Parks is searching for specific structural features that coincide with the stateroom's location aboard the ship. This is key to confirming the identity of the mystery object in the image.

PARKS STEPHENSON: We've got something up there on the left. Yep. 40 meters. Oh, whoa, whoa, whoa, eyes out, eyes out, eyes out. OK.

PARKS STEPHENSON: This might be the Guggenheim piece. You see all that ribbing?

VICTOR VESCOVO: Yeah.

PARKS STEPHENSON: This might be the Guggenheim piece. I'm going to translate left.

VICTOR VESCOVO: You translate left, yes, please.

PARKS STEPHENSON: Yep, here we go, that is it. This is it, this is Guggenheim's stateroom right here. Right here.

VICTOR VESCOVO: Found it. That's the stateroom right there. That's Guggenheim. Good job. Teamwork.

SURFACE, LF: Present depth 3802, life support good, at Guggenheim.

NARRATOR: Roger, LF, at Guggenheim. Congratulations.

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