Nat Geo Delves into Digital Scan of Titanic in New Doc

Titanic: The Digital Resurrection, a 90-minute documentary that offers an unprecedented look into the Titanic disaster, is set to bow on National Geographic on April 11.

The feature uses exclusive access to cutting-edge underwater scanning technology to produce a full-scale, 1:1 digital twin of the Titanic with over 715,000 still images and 4K footage. After two years of analysis, a team of leading historians, engineers and forensic experts use this scan to reconstruct the ship’s final moments to provide new insights into what really happened on the fateful night of April 14, 1912.

Titanic analyst Parks Stephenson, metallurgist Jennifer Hooper and master mariner Captain Chris Hearn dissect the wreckage up close on a full-scale LED volume stage, walking around the ship in its final resting place. From the boiler room where engineers worked to keep the lights on until the very end to the first-class cabins where the ship ripped in two, the scan brings them right into the heart of the tragedy.

Throughout the documentary, the team discovers a steam valve in the open position, validating eyewitness accounts that the ship’s engineers remained at their posts in boiler room two for over two hours after impact. Other analysis adds to the evidence exonerating First Officer Murdoch, who was long accused of abandoning his post. The position of a lifeboat davit suggests his crew was preparing a launch moments before the starboard side was engulfed, corroborating Second Officer Charles Lightoller’s testimony that Murdoch was swept away by the sea.

The special also examines the 15-square-mile debris field, which contains hundreds of personal artifacts such as pocket watches, purses, gold coins, hair combs, shoes and a shark’s tooth charm, all offering a glimpse into the lives lost. Historian Yasmin Khan and the team work together to connect these items to their original owners.

The digital scan was achieved with pioneering filmmaker Anthony Geffen and his team and the deep-sea mapping company Magellan.

Titanic: The Digital Resurrection is produced by Atlantic Productions. On behalf of Atlantic, Geffen is producer, Lina Zilinskaite is senior producer, and Fergus Colville is the director. Simon Raikes and Chad Cohen serve as executive producers for National Geographic.

The special is slated to air on National Geographic on April 11 and will stream the next day on Disney+ and Hulu.