Our initial reaction was one of celebration,” said Ballard. “We were jumping up and down, screaming and yelling. But then someone looked at the clock at that moment and said, ‘She sinks in 20 minutes.’ (Titanic sank at 2: 20 a.m.)
“That innocent comment made us realize that the last thing we should be doing was celebrating anything. This was a gravesite and it was inappropriate to be celebrating on a grave. That comment hit us hard and it was like someone went into our bodies and hit a switch.”
As the boiler and hull of the majestic ship came into view, something more heartwrenching surfaced across the debris field. After victims’ bodies were eaten by sea creatures, their skeletons dissolved and all that was left behind were their shoes.
“When I saw those shoes, I saw the tombstones of these people,” Ballard said. “It was the most poignant and powerful moment I’ve ever experienced. I’ve discovered other ships and I had no special attachment to this one. I’m a scientist and I’m not supposed to be emotional but when I saw Titanic, it nailed me.”
This innovative Titanic exhibit underscores Ballard’s passion, the emotional moment of the ship’s discovery and his dedication to preserving her final resting place as a sacred shrine.
Because he considers the wreckage a memorial site, Ballard is adamant that souvenir hunting in the area be prohibited. Nothing at the exhibit has come from the site. Artifacts have been recreated as a means to “touch and see the past, while leaving the wreck site untouched by the explorers.”
“We have no problem with people visiting Titanic, but you wouldn’t go to Gettysburg with a shovel, or go to the Louvre and poke your finger at the Mona Lisa,” Ballard notes. “There’s a way of telling a story without desecrating a gravesite.”
And this is exactly what “Titanic – 12,450 Feet Below” does, capturing the minds and imaginations of everyone along the way. Unlike other Titanic exhibits this one showcases the technology that facilitated the research and the discovery of the ship. Captivating imagery, breathtaking recreations, emotional soundscapes, hands-on-activities and lively entertainment illuminate the journey through Titanic’s history.
