13. Ballard’s expedition entered Titanic on a subsequent visit
In 1986 Ballard returned to Titanic using the research vessel Atlantis II, taking Argo with him. He was also accompanied by a deep submergence vehicle (DSV) named Alvin, which could carry people to the edge of the wreck, allowing a tethered remote vehicle named Jason Jr. to explore the interior. Jason Jr’s photographs of the interior of the wreck further piqued public interest as it sent back pictures of ghostly chandeliers, plates and crockery, and the Grand Staircase which it descended, sending back images as if it was walking down the stairs.
The public interest in the wreck, and the renewed interest in the story of Titanic, were both events that Ballard welcomed, but a rising chorus from investors and adventurers over salvaging artifacts from the site – even calls for salvaging the ship itself – caused a sense of alarm. To Ballard, the ship was a grave, and he considered keeping its location secret, but the graverobbers were not to be denied. By 1987 an expedition funded by American investors had recovered over 1,800 objects from the ship and debris field. By the end of the century, the number of items taken from the wreck site was in the tens of thousands.
