RMS Titanic, Inc. conducted its seventh research and recovery mission to Titanic’s wreck site.  Expedition 2004 left Halifax, Nova Scotia on August 25, 2004 onboard the vessel Mariner Sea.

The goals of this expedition were to recover artifacts for exhibition, identify objects for future recovery, inspect the wreck site for alleged harm caused by previous visitors, and, if necessary, to establish guidelines for future visitations.  Once positioned over the site, a memorial service was held at which RMS Titanic promised that the mission would be conducted with reverence and respect for the tragedy that had taken place on the location in 1912.

The mission utilized a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) rather than the manned submersibles used on previous expeditions.  The ROV, provided by Phoenix International, Inc., was equipped with cameras, lighting systems, and two manipulator arms that allowed for the team to engage in round-the-clock underwater operations and to watch those operations in real time from the surface.  Members of the RMS Titanic, Inc. team, which included the Titanic artifact collections manager Stacey Savatsky, the archivist and registrar Becky King, a collections technician Don Angel, the exhibition designer Mark Lach, and the exhibition manager Allison Worrall, monitored the operations and directed the choice of artifacts retrieved from a specifically equipped facility on the stern deck of the Mariner Sea.

Working in concert with RMS Titanic, Inc. were a marine manager, the Phoenix International ROV specialists and navigators, Ken Varana, an underwater archeologist from the Center for Maritime and Underwater Resource Management (CMURM), and Patty Miller, a senior conservator from Conservation Solutions. A representative from the museum community, an historian, and two members from the Company’s Board of Directors were onboard as observers. 

A variety of artifacts were recovered during the expedition, each rescue documented as to time and location by video, still photographs, and written notations. Perhaps the most exciting artifacts rescued were two never-before seen: a gilded wall sconce from the À la Carte Restaurant and the frame of a tile from the Turkish Bath.  The tile still retains, and finally documents, the vibrant blue color used in the decor of the Bath. 

The expedition returned to Halifax on September 8, 2004 with its mission accomplished.

Expedition 2004 Photographs