NORFOLK, Va. — Editor's note: The above video is footage taken from an underwater expedition to the Titanic in the summer of 2021.
April 15 is National Titanic Remembrance Day.
Each year, this day is dedicated to the memory of the lives lost when the RMS Titanic sank into the icy waters of the North Atlantic Ocean on Apr. 15, 1912.
Just hours after hitting an iceberg, the Titanic sank off the coast of Newfoundland. About 1,500 people on board the British luxury liner perished in the waters of the icy North Atlantic.
The ship stretched about 882 feet in length, which was the biggest vessel of its kind back then. However, today the largest cruise ship belongs to Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas, which is nearly 1,200 feet long.
The wreckage of the Titanic was lost for over 70 years, before an expedition located successfully located it, broken in two large pieces at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, in 1985.
WVEC spoke with a survivor of the Titanic shortly after the ship was rediscovered in 1985:
The ship's condition has been rapidly deteriorating in recent years. The iconic ocean liner is being battered by deep-sea currents and bacteria that consume hundreds of pounds of iron a day.
Some have predicted the ship could vanish in a matter of decades as holes yawn in the hull and sections disintegrate.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.