The 'Big Piece'

The Big Piece was initially located by RMS Titanic, Inc. during the 1993 Titanic Expedition. This piece is a broken portion of the ship's hull that had fallen into the debris field near the stern section of Titanic's wreck. The expedition team measured the piece during the 1994 expedition in an effort to estimate its weight and plan for its future recovery. Though the Big Piece was successfully raised to within 200 feet of the ocean's surface during the 1996 expedition, attempts to recover the Big Piece failed when a sudden storm struck, the ropes holding the Big Piece snapped and it descended back to the ocean floor.

The 1998 Titanic Expedition team successfully recovered the Big Piece on August 10th, with the use of a giant winch, pulling the section of Titanic's hull from the ocean. The Big Piece measures approximately 26 feet by 20 feet. It is the largest piece of Titanic that will, in all likelihood, ever be recovered from the wreck. It is only a small fragment, however, of Titanic's 883-foot long hull. It has four full portholes and consists of between one and three riveted steel plates--each approximately one inch thick. Two of the portholes have brass fittings that look almost new. The fateful iceberg passed literally within feet of these portholes.

Marine architects and historians have concluded that this section of the hull came primarily from the C Deck on the Titanic's starboard side, specifically cabins C-79 and C-81. These cabins were unoccupied, but were next to the stateroom of New York theatrical producer Henry B. Harris and his wife, and near the cabin of W. T. Stead, the most famous journalist in England. Mr. Harris and Mr. Stead both lost their lives in the disaster.

Conservation requirements to preserve the Big Piece for the current and future generations necessitate submerging it in a pool, containing a chemical bath, for several months. During this period of time, corrosive salts from the ocean that have penetrated the piece will be removed. The Big Piece is unique as representing the Titanic. Once fully conserved, it will be recognized for eternity as the Titanic, and as a monument to the memory of the most famous ship in the world and all those aboard it.