Discovery of the Titanic Wreck Trivia Questions
How much do you really know about Discovery of the Titanic Wreck? Below are 15 true or false statements. Click each one to reveal the answer and explanation.
1.The Titanic was found in one piece, perfectly upright on the ocean floor.
Click to reveal answer ›
Easy
The Titanic was found in one piece, perfectly upright on the ocean floor.
Click to reveal answer ›
The wreck split in two; the bow and stern lie about 2,000 feet apart. Many people imagine the ship intact, but it broke apart during the sinking.
2.Most people think the Titanic sank in the North Atlantic, but it actually rests in the Sargasso Sea.
Click to reveal answer ›
Easy
Most people think the Titanic sank in the North Atlantic, but it actually rests in the Sargasso Sea.
Click to reveal answer ›
The wreck is indeed in the North Atlantic, about 370 miles south of Newfoundland. The Sargasso Sea is farther east, near Bermuda—a common geographic mix-up.
3.The Titanic wreck was found at a depth of about 12,500 feet.
Click to reveal answer ›
Easy
The Titanic wreck was found at a depth of about 12,500 feet.
Click to reveal answer ›
The Titanic rests at roughly 3,800 meters (12,467 feet), which is about 12,500 feet.
4.The Titanic wreck sits upright and largely intact on the ocean floor.
Click to reveal answer ›
Easy
The Titanic wreck sits upright and largely intact on the ocean floor.
Click to reveal answer ›
The wreck is split into two main pieces, with the bow and stern lying about 2,000 feet apart, and the stern is heavily damaged.
5.The Titanic wreck was discovered in 1985 by a French-American team co-led by Jean-Louis Michel and Robert Ballard.
Click to reveal answer ›
Medium
The Titanic wreck was discovered in 1985 by a French-American team co-led by Jean-Louis Michel and Robert Ballard.
Click to reveal answer ›
The joint expedition was co-led by IFREMER's Jean-Louis Michel and WHOI's Robert Ballard. Michel's team's sonar first located the wreck.
6.The Titanic’s famous bow section sank straight down and landed perfectly upright on the seabed.
Click to reveal answer ›
Medium
The Titanic’s famous bow section sank straight down and landed perfectly upright on the seabed.
Click to reveal answer ›
The bow did land upright, but it plowed into the mud at a steep angle, causing significant damage. It’s not perfectly pristine—it’s deeply embedded.
7.Robert Ballard discovered the wreck of the Titanic in 1985.
Click to reveal answer ›
Medium
Robert Ballard discovered the wreck of the Titanic in 1985.
Click to reveal answer ›
Ballard led the joint American-French expedition that located the Titanic on September 1, 1985, using the deep-sea submersible Argo.
8.Robert Ballard found the Titanic on his very first attempt to search for it.
Click to reveal answer ›
Medium
Robert Ballard found the Titanic on his very first attempt to search for it.
Click to reveal answer ›
Ballard's first attempt to find the Titanic was the 1985 joint US-French expedition, which successfully located the wreck. Prior failed attempts (e.g., by Jack Grimm in 1977) did not involve Ballard.
9.No human remains have ever been found at the Titanic wreck site.
Click to reveal answer ›
Medium
No human remains have ever been found at the Titanic wreck site.
Click to reveal answer ›
Despite thousands of deaths, all organic material dissolved due to deep-sea bacteria and currents. The ocean floor is remarkably clean of any bones or bodies.
10.Robert Ballard discovered the Titanic wreck on his very first attempt to find it.
Click to reveal answer ›
Medium
Robert Ballard discovered the Titanic wreck on his very first attempt to find it.
Click to reveal answer ›
Ballard had led multiple failed expeditions before 1985. The successful mission was his third try, and he used advanced submersible technology for the first time.
11.The Titanic wreck was discovered during a secret Cold War military mission.
Click to reveal answer ›
Hard
The Titanic wreck was discovered during a secret Cold War military mission.
Click to reveal answer ›
The 1985 discovery was actually a cover for a US Navy mission to find two lost nuclear submarines. Ballard only had 12 days left to search for Titanic after finishing the sub hunt.
12.The discovery of the Titanic wreck in 1985 was part of a secret U.S. Navy mission that used an underwater imaging system originally built for surveying sunken submarines.
Click to reveal answer ›
Hard
The discovery of the Titanic wreck in 1985 was part of a secret U.S. Navy mission that used an underwater imaging system originally built for surveying sunken submarines.
Click to reveal answer ›
Robert Ballard's expedition was funded by the Navy on the condition that he first use the Argo system to survey the wrecks of USS Thresher and USS Scorpion; afterwards he used it to locate Titanic.
13.The Titanic wreck was discovered during a secret Cold War naval mission.
Click to reveal answer ›
Hard
The Titanic wreck was discovered during a secret Cold War naval mission.
Click to reveal answer ›
The 1985 discovery was actually a cover for a US Navy mission to locate two lost nuclear submarines, the USS Thresher and Scorpion.
14.The Titanic was discovered using state-of-the-art sonar technology that detected its hull shape.
Click to reveal answer ›
Hard
The Titanic was discovered using state-of-the-art sonar technology that detected its hull shape.
Click to reveal answer ›
It was actually found by a camera-towed sled named Argo, which spotted the wreck visually via video feed. Sonar only confirmed the debris field.
15.A 1986 manned submersible visit to the wreck nearly got stuck inside the hull.
Click to reveal answer ›
Hard
A 1986 manned submersible visit to the wreck nearly got stuck inside the hull.
Click to reveal answer ›
In 1986, the manned submersible Alvin briefly got entangled in wires near the Titanic's stern, but it never entered the ship's interior or got stuck inside the hull.
More in History
Want to test yourself in real time?
Swipe right for True, left for False. New questions every day on PopBluff.
Play PopBluff Free →