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When the public saw photos and documentaries of the Titanic shipwreck, they often noticed one bizarre thing: there were no human remains found anywhere. We could see the furniture, the luggage, plates, and other random stuff, but no bodies.
Scientists and researchers explain that the depths of the Ocean are not what we usually imagine. This could be the reason for that misunderstanding, and what could explain why there are no human remains found on this one specific ship, despite far older shipwrecks
What Happened to the Bodies After the Sinking?
First off, what happened to the bodies just right after the Titanic sank in April 1912? Well, researchers found that many of the victims were not trapped inside the ship, but instead, they were in the cold open ocean, just like Jack and Rose, and most were wearing lifejackets and floating around. These specific lifejackets were also very buoyant and could have kept their bodies upfloat for a while, even after their death.
Rescue ships actually helped recover and bury these bodies, but they were not able to find all of them. One possible reason is that they were likely pushed back by the waves, storms, currents, or strong winds to some other nearby location. During the sinking, experts also noted that the rough weather of the North Atlantic could have scattered the floating bodies quickly.
Over weeks and months, those bodies that are floating on the surface of the water or in shallow parts of the ocean would have undergone the process of decomposition, especially with the presence of oxygen and scavengers. Then, by the time the researchers found the exact site of the shipwreck, it had been over 70 years. So, any of those bodies that drifted while floating would have probably been gone. But what about inside the ship?
Read more: IFLScience
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Why Deep Ocean Conditions Erase Human Remains
The Titanic was resting around 3,800 meters or 12,500 feet down in the North Atlantic. The temperature of the water is just above freezing, but the pressure is absolutely crushing. However, what should be noted most is that even at the depths of the ocean, there is life brimming, especially around the seafloor where the ship landed.
If there were bodies in the ship, the first ones that would have caused their disappearances were the scavengers, such as fish, crabs, worms, and other sea creatures. They would have quickly consumed the soft tissues, and this is proven by studies showcasing that even much larger bodies could be stripped to bone in a matter of days or weeks.
Moreover, there were probably bacteria working too, helping the decomposition process of different parts of the bodies. Then, over the years, even the bones would not have survived the pressure and seawater chemistry. They would have turned into part of the surrounding water and sediments when the bone minerals dissolved.
Author's Final Thoughts
No one has ever found intact human remains inside the shipwreck of the Titanic, and this is mainly because the ocean doesn’t preserve human bodies for long. From scavengers and bacteria, to the chemistry and pressure of the deep sea, the bodies have all disappeared now.
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