History & Culture

Titanic was found during secret Cold War Navy mission

While it is fairly well-known that oceanographer Bob Ballard discovered the famed wreckage, many are unaware of the whole story.

Rusted prow (bow) of the R.M.S. Titanic ocean liner in the North Atlantic. Over a hundred years ago, the Titanicsank beneath the Atlantic Ocean in less than three hours.

Photograph by Emory Kristof, Nat Geo Image Collection

Published May 23, 2023

4 min read

Editor's Note: Nearly 26 years ago, James Cameron's blockbuster film "Titanic" entranced audiences around the globe. But it was less than 10 years ago that Robert Ballard, the oceanographer who discovered the Titanic in 1985, revealed to the world that he found the famous shipwreck as the result of a top-secret military expedition. Here's how National Geographic broke the news on June 2, 2008.

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