Real Titanic Artifacts Recovered from the Ocean Floor
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TITANIC: The Artifact Exhibition offers the only opportunity to see real Titanic artifacts recovered directly from the debris field. This collection offers public access to the only authentic, direct, and most comprehensive connection to the Ship and her history, respectfully recovered from the Titanic wrecksite.
When Titanic sank and split in two, she spilled the contents of cabins, passenger amenities, kitchens, dining rooms, and boiler and engine rooms across the sea floor. RMST recovers artifacts from the debris field to protect the integrity of the wreckage. Through careful recovery, conservation, and preservation, these artifacts bring the past to life, offering an intimate glimpse into the world of 1912. From personal belongings to shipboard fittings, each artifact tells a story of the ship’s ill-fated voyage and the lives that were forever changed. Experience history through the very objects that once sailed on board the most famous ship in the world.
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TOP 25 ARTIFACTS
Cherub
Recovered 1987
•DECOR
Recovered in 1987 on our first expedition, this bronze cherub serves to personify the grace and luxury of Titanic. From his location aft the Grand Staircase, he would have extended his now-missing torch to guide first-class passengers to their exclusive amenities between A and C Decks, which included the Café Parisien and À la Carte Restaurant, as well as the Smoking Lounge. The landings of the Grand Staircase had comfortable chairs for the elite to sit and socialize while watching the comings and goings of their peers. While there were several cherubs on Titanic, this is the only one that has been found in the wreckage.
Steering Stand
Recovered 2000
•Mechanics
Titanic had three steering wheels. This one came from the Captain’s Navigating Bridge. On the night of the sinking, Quartermaster Robert Hichens turned his steering wheel hard to starboard. The central brass hub held the spokes of the steering wheel, and a large wooden ring with a brass face and exterior handles would have completed it. Turning a ship as large as Titanic took time and distance; she had neither to spare when the iceberg was spotted. When the order came to turn hard to starboard, it was too late. Moments later, Titanic struck the iceberg along her starboard side.
The Chunk
Recovered 1998
•Ocean Storytellers
•ORLANDO
•Las Vegas
When the expedition team looked to raise a quintessential piece of Titanic's hull, they identified this 17-ton section, initially called the Chunk. With portholes from C-Deck cabins to D-Deck kitchens, it was situated along the line where Titanic's paint shifted from white to the yellow band to black. Recovery efforts began with measurements in 1994, and in 1996, an attempt was halted by weather and equipment issues. The piece was moved to shallower waters and finally raised in 1998. To ensure safe handling, conservators separated it into two parts: the 15-ton Big Piece, on permanent display in Las Vegas, and the 2-ton Little Piece, on permanent display in Orlando.
First Class Cup
Recovered 1987
•dishware
•orlando
This delicate cup was created by the English pottery house Spode. It is made of white porcelain with rich cobalt blue and gold decorations. This design is sometimes called the “Millionaire’s Service,” but it is not known precisely which first-class restaurant or dining room on Titanic used this pattern. It was very likely a service used during meals for Capt. Smith’s guests or a similar group of elite passengers. This pattern is the rarest that is seen at the wrecksite, and very few pieces have been recovered.
Second Class Dish
Recovered 1994
•dishware
•orlando
•Las Vegas
Second-class dishware on Titanic was made of durable, serviceable earthenware, glazed in white and decorated with a cheery blue floral pattern reminiscent of Delft Blue pottery. The center emblem is the burgee (swallow-tailed flag) of the White Star Line, which would have been red.
Because Titanic broke apart near where all of the dining areas and restaurants were grouped, the debris field is littered with dishware and other kitchen equipment that spilled out as the Ship sank.
Third Class Saucer
Recovered 1998
•dishware
•LAS VEGAS
Third-class dishware on Titanic was made of simple earthenware with a white glaze and the central White Star Line burgee in the center. These types of ceramics survived remarkably intact and unmarred by decades on the ocean floor due to their dense ceramic construction, which prevented them from being crushed by the 6,000 pounds per square inch of pressure at 12,500 feet below the ocean’s surface. The dishware’s nonporous surface and beautiful, bright white glaze make it easily visible on the ocean floor.
The Chunk
Recovered 1998
•Ocean Storytellers
•ORLANDO
•Las Vegas
When the expedition team looked to raise a quintessential piece of Titanic's hull, they identified this 17-ton section, initially called the Chunk. With portholes from C-Deck cabins to D-Deck kitchens, it was situated along the line where Titanic's paint shifted from white to the yellow band to black. Recovery efforts began with measurements in 1994, and in 1996, an attempt was halted by weather and equipment issues. The piece was moved to shallower waters and finally raised in 1998. To ensure safe handling, conservators separated it into two parts: the 15-ton Big Piece, on permanent display in Las Vegas, and the 2-ton Little Piece, on permanent display in Orlando.
Davit Crane
Recovered 1993
•Ocean Storytellers
Axel Welin worked with the original designer of Titanic, Alexander Carlisle, to design these lifeboat davits, which would have been able to swing inward to pick up a second row of lifeboats. This would have doubled Titanic’s lifeboat capacity. Unfortunately, these additional lifeboats were removed to make room and provide a more aesthetic experience for passengers strolling through the Boat Decks. In the sinking, most of the davits were torn from the decks, and several lie in a tangled pile in the debris field. Recovered in 1993, this davit has one crane arm that was in the fully extended position after lowering the boat and a second arm that was broken just above the fulcrum.
Champagne Bottle
Recovered 1994
•Ocean Storytellers
•all exhibitions
Among the dining provisions scattered across the debris field are bottles of beer, wine, spirits, and part of the 63 cases of champagne listed on the cargo manifest and supplied by F. B. Vandegrift & Co. The bubbly would have been enjoyed each evening on the voyage, primarily in first class. The survival of these bottles is a lesson in physics. As they sank, seawater gradually entered the bottles, allowing internal and external pressure to equalize rather than causing a sudden rupture. This equilibrium kept the bottles intact, with their contents still preserved inside. While no one has tasted the remaining champagne, it’s believed to be no longer suitable to drink.
Concretion
Recovered 1994
•ocean storytellers
As some artifacts sat at the bottom of the ocean, they became concealed in concretions. Concretions are hard, cement-like encapsulations caused when corrosion products react and fuse with biological and mineral materials near an object. Large concretions can envelop small artifacts. Each one must be treated like its own excavation in order not to damage any remaining artifacts concealed inside.
Steering Stand
Recovered 2000
•Mechanics
Titanic had three steering wheels. This one came from the Captain’s Navigating Bridge. On the night of the sinking, Quartermaster Robert Hichens turned his steering wheel hard to starboard. The central brass hub held the spokes of the steering wheel, and a large wooden ring with a brass face and exterior handles would have completed it. Turning a ship as large as Titanic took time and distance; she had neither to spare when the iceberg was spotted. When the order came to turn hard to starboard, it was too late. Moments later, Titanic struck the iceberg along her starboard side.
Bell
Recovered 1987
•Mechanics
Frederick Fleet, the lookout on duty, had the challenging job of peering through the dark, calm night for signs of icebergs. He would have rung this Crow’s Nest Bell urgently three times to alert the Bridge to the iceberg. He also would have used a telephone with a direct line to the Wheelhouse to communicate the danger. As Titanic sank, the mast that held the Crow’s Nest collapsed and fell back across the forward Well Deck, spanning the deck. Over time, expeditions observed the Crow’s Nest deteriorate, eventually collapsing and disappearing completely.
Large Iron Wrench
Recovered 1994
•Mechanics
•Las Vegas
Harland & Wolff assigned Titanic her yard number, 401, immediately after the initial construction of her sister ship, Olympic, which was 400. As the ships were built, pieces were ordered and labeled either 400 or 401 to be installed in the correct ship. This wrench likely came from the Ship’s Engine Room. Though the metal weathered on the ocean floor, it is clearly labeled 401 by the open end of the wrench.
Eccentric Strap
Recovered 1993
•Mechanics
Titanic had two reciprocating engines located right in the area where the Ship broke in two. This eccentric strap would have had a disc in the center with an off-center (eccentric) opening for the propulsion shaft to pass through. The up-and-down motion of the eccentric strap would thus turn the shaft, translating the vertical motion of the piston above into a rotational motion around the propulsion system. At 2 tons, it remains one of the largest artifacts in the collection.
Stoking Indicator Master
Recovered 1987
•Mechanics
•Las Vegas
Titanic had 11 Kilroy Stoking Indicators to help manage the relentless work of shoveling coal into the boiler furnaces. The furnace doors had to be open at precise intervals to maintain optimal heat and fire levels and avoid over- or under-consumption of coal on board the Ship. Firemen shoveled over 600 tons of coal into Titanic’s furnaces around the clock every day to power the enormous Ship and her electrical plant. These workers kept the furnaces running as Titanic sank, which kept the lights on for the passengers trying to escape.
Rivets
Recovered TBD
•Mechanics
•all exhibitions
Over 3 million rivets held Titanic together. They were placed by teams of five men: a heater boy to heat the rivet, a catcher boy to catch the hot rivet, a holder-on to hold it in place, and two riveters who took turns hammering in constant succession. These were very dangerous and physically demanding jobs. The team worked high up on scaffolding equipment around the body of the Ship without harnesses or safety equipment and with only asbestos gloves to handle the red-hot metal.
Gladstone Bag
Recovered 1987
•personal items
This small, unassuming leather portmanteau suitcase built over a rigid frame was recovered on our first expedition in 1987. It contained the valuables of several passengers. The leather bag protected its contents—diamond jewelry and hundreds of dollars in currency—from deterioration over the next several decades until it was recovered. During the voyage, passengers could deposit valuables with the Ship’s Purser for safekeeping. We can surmise that the Purser emptied the safes into bags like this one to be able to return possessions to their owners in lifeboats. This Gladstone Bag never made it to a lifeboat and was lost the night Titanic sank.
Pulbaum Dictionary
Recovered 1993
•personal items
Franz Pulbaum was a 27-year-old amusement park ride mechanic who emigrated from Germany to the United States in 1907. This small German–English dictionary would have helped him find work and build a new life. In 1912, he was the chief mechanic for a popular ride called Witching Waves, seen at Luna Park in Coney Island, New York, and in the silent films Coney Island (1917, with Roscoe Arbuckle and Buster Keaton) and Speedy (1928, with Harold Lloyd). Franz was returning from a work trip to Paris, where he had installed the ride at a new Luna Park, when he boarded Titanic. He perished in the sinking. His body, if recovered, was never identified. His memory lives on through his belongings recovered from the debris field.
Uniform Button
Recovered 1987
•personal items
White Star Line had a strict uniform policy. All crew members were required to wear uniforms, but the company did not supply them. Instead, crew were responsible for purchasing their own uniforms from one of several authorized suppliers. The White Star Line uniforms were almost identical to Royal Navy uniforms except for the buttons, which had the burgee of the White Star Line. A single uniform could cost up to $800 today and would have been the equivalent of almost a month’s pay for many of the crew. We haven’t been able to determine the owner of this button, but due to its diameter, we know it is likely from a vest.
Filigree Pendant Necklace
Recovered 1987
•personal items
•LAS VEGAS
This piece of jewelry was deposited with Titanic’s Purser for safekeeping during the Atlantic crossing. A perforated ticket was attached to the necklace, and the chit would have been torn off for the passenger to claim the item when Titanic docked in New York. Pursers likely made their best effort to fulfill their commitment by gathering the objects in bags to be taken off the Ship as it was sinking. However, the valuables never made it back to their owners, and the claim tickets are illegible. It is not clear to whom this necklace belonged. It was discovered in the Gladstone Bag along with valuables from several passengers.
Safe
Recovered 1987
•personal items
This safe was one of the first items recovered in August 1987. The mystery of the vault’s contents would be revealed in October of that year when it was opened in real time on a televised special from Paris. The show, called “Return to the Titanic”, was hosted by Hollywood star Telly Savalas. The anticipation soured when the safe was disappointingly empty save for a handful of coins. Evidently, the Ship’s Pursers either had distributed the contents back to the passengers or emptied the contents into bags to be returned to their owners after being rescued.
Pocket Watch
Recovered 1987
•personal items
•Orlando
The Edwardian Era, the time when Titanic sailed, was a period of great technological advancement. But some old-style traditions, like pocket watches, persisted. Gentlemen would keep a pocket watch tucked into a vest or pants pocket, attached with a fob (chain). A pocket watch was essential to everyday life on board the Ship of Dreams for men of every social class. This pocket watch, recovered in 1987, was once a fine timepiece. It was crafted by Swiss watch manufacturer Longines, founded in the 1860s. Its owner is unidentified.
Cherub
Recovered 1987
•DECOR
Recovered in 1987 on our first expedition, this bronze cherub serves to personify the grace and luxury of Titanic. From his location aft the Grand Staircase, he would have extended his now-missing torch to guide first-class passengers to their exclusive amenities between A and C Decks, which included the Café Parisien and À la Carte Restaurant, as well as the Smoking Lounge. The landings of the Grand Staircase had comfortable chairs for the elite to sit and socialize while watching the comings and goings of their peers. While there were several cherubs on Titanic, this is the only one that has been found in the wreckage.
Stained Glass Window
Recovered 1994
•decor
This stained-glass window came from the First Class Smoking Room. It would have been a part of a transom, high up around the exterior walls, to allow additional light into the room where the wealthiest men of the time could gather and socialize on Titanic’s maiden voyage. Decades on the ocean floor have left the lead frame too fragile to move. It remains in museum storage under the stewardship of the RMS Titanic Inc. Collections Department.
First Class Cup
Recovered 1987
•dishware
•orlando
This delicate cup was created by the English pottery house Spode. It is made of white porcelain with rich cobalt blue and gold decorations. This design is sometimes called the “Millionaire’s Service,” but it is not known precisely which first-class restaurant or dining room on Titanic used this pattern. It was very likely a service used during meals for Capt. Smith’s guests or a similar group of elite passengers. This pattern is the rarest that is seen at the wrecksite, and very few pieces have been recovered.
Second Class Dish
Recovered 1994
•dishware
•orlando
•Las Vegas
Second-class dishware on Titanic was made of durable, serviceable earthenware, glazed in white and decorated with a cheery blue floral pattern reminiscent of Delft Blue pottery. The center emblem is the burgee (swallow-tailed flag) of the White Star Line, which would have been red.
Because Titanic broke apart near where all of the dining areas and restaurants were grouped, the debris field is littered with dishware and other kitchen equipment that spilled out as the Ship sank.
Third Class Saucer
Recovered 1998
•dishware
•LAS VEGAS
Third-class dishware on Titanic was made of simple earthenware with a white glaze and the central White Star Line burgee in the center. These types of ceramics survived remarkably intact and unmarred by decades on the ocean floor due to their dense ceramic construction, which prevented them from being crushed by the 6,000 pounds per square inch of pressure at 12,500 feet below the ocean’s surface. The dishware’s nonporous surface and beautiful, bright white glaze make it easily visible on the ocean floor.
Au Gratin Dishes
Recovered 1987
•dishware
•all exhibitions
Some items fell to the ocean floor in haunting stillness, landing seemingly undisturbed, as if carefully placed. These ceramic Au Gratin dishes, built for heavy use, were essential for meal service, used for everything from casseroles to side dishes to desserts. The term au gratin comes from a French technique of topping a dish with a browned crust of cheese, butter, or breadcrumbs. When Titanic struck the iceberg, these dishes were neatly stacked in a wooden cabinet located at the very point where the Ship later broke in two. The cabinet protected and preserved their arrangement as they descended to the seabed. Over time, the wood disappeared, revealing the stack just as it had landed. More than 300 of these dishes have been recovered.
Shamrock Cup
Recovered 1994
•dishware
Ceramics litter Titanic’s debris field. Most are from the Ship’s massive dining facilities. However, many passengers were traveling with ceramics of their own. These personal items may have been souvenirs of a passenger’s travels or possessions traveling with the passenger to start a new life. Ceramics remain remarkably pristine at the bottom of the ocean. This small decorative dish, decorated with the phrase “Three little leaves of shamrock,” is a great example. It was made by the English pottery company Aller Vale. It is not known to whom the object belonged.
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artifact stories
The dishes used to serve passengers on #TITANIC belonged to the #WhiteStarLine and were distinguishable by the red flag insignia on them. Many #TITANICArtifacts in the collection have this symbol which you can spot on objects throughout #TITANICArtifactExhibition.
#DiscoverTITANIC and find an Exhibition near you!
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#TITANICHistory #History #RMST #TITANIC1912 #TITANICShip #TITANICExhibition #TITANICMuseum
May 4
Dainty, yet intricate jewelry was popular in #Edwardian times and remains some of the most beautiful pieces in the #TITANIC artifact collection. This piece is currently on display in #LasVegas.
#DiscoverTITANIC and the incredible artifacts recovered from the ocean floor at #TITANICTheArtifactExhibition, located around the world.
https://www.discovertitanic.com/exhibitions/
#TITANICHistory #TITANIC1912 #TITANICTeatime #TeaHistory #TITANICShip #TITANICArtifactExhibtion #TITANICExhibition #TITANICMuseum #RMST
May 17
#TITANIC had a lot of machinery—and tools to maintain it. This wrench still has the hull number, 401, stamped onto it along with the equipment this tool was meant to service. #DiscoverTITANIC and the incredible artifacts and human stories on board the Ship of Dreams only at #TITANICArtifactExhibition.
🎟️ https://www.discovertitanic.com/exhibitions/
#TITANICHistory #TITANICArtifacts #TITANICExhibition #TITANICMuseum #TITANIC1912 #TITANICShip #RMST #Oceanography
Jun 8
#TodayInHistory On March 31, 1909, construction began on #TITANIC at Harland & Wolff in Belfast. Over the next three years, thousands of skilled workers brought her to life, creating what was then the largest moving object in the world.
#OnThisDay #TITANICAnniversary
Mar 31
