Photos misrepresented as debris from lost Titanic-bound sub
- This article is more than one year old.
- Published on June 23, 2023 at 22:58
- Updated on April 29, 2024 at 17:06
- 5 min read
- By Bill MCCARTHY, AFP USA
Copyright © AFP 2017-2025. Any commercial use of this content requires a subscription. Click here to find out more.
"Breaking News : A Debris field has been discovered near the Titanic by a remotely operated vehicle," says a June 22, 2023 tweet sharing one such image, which appears to show shoes on the seafloor.
The same image and others like it have circulated in various languages on platforms including Twitter and TikTok.
They come after the Coast Guard said June 22 that the OceanGate Expeditions tourist submersible suffered a "catastrophic implosion," leaving the five-person crew dead. The announcement ended a multinational search for the lost vessel known as the Titan, which was destined for the Titanic when it lost contact with its mothership less than two hours into its descent.
Rescue efforts uncovered debris on the seafloor 1,600 feet (500 meters) from the bow of the Titanic that officials said was consistent with an implosion of the vessel's pressure chamber. Among the wreckage were the sub's tail cone and the front and back ends of its pressure hull.
But the images circulating online do not depict the Titan.
"The Unified Command has not released any photos or videos of the debris," the US Coast Guard's First District told AFP in a June 23 email. "Unless released from our official press releases or our social media, these photos are unconfirmed."
2004 images from the Titanic
Two of the pictures misrepresented on social media were originally taken at the Titanic's gravesite nearly two decades ago, reverse image searches show.
Scientists from the University of Rhode Island and the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) captured the original two photos (archived here and here) during a 2004 mission to map the infamous ship and analyze its deterioration (archived here).
"The two images of the boot ... are indeed from a 2004 expedition conducted by NOAA Ocean Exploration and the Institute for Exploration, Center for Archaeological Oceanography/University of Rhode Island to explore RMS Titanic," said Emily Crum, a spokesperson for the NOAA's Office of Ocean Exploration, in a June 23 email. "They are not Titan debris."
The Titanic sank during its maiden voyage in 1912 after it collided with an iceberg, leaving approximately 1,500 passengers dead.
2009 recording from American Samoa
A third image shared online comes from a video that NOAA published on YouTube in 2013 (archived here).
Crum said the original film (archived here) is even older.
"The footage is of tsunami debris in American Samoa, from 2009," Crum said. "It's obviously not from Titan debris."
2018 photo from Indonesia
Another photo, which shows what appear to be metal scraps floating at the water's surface, has also been claimed to depict material from the lost OceanGate vessel.
But AFP captured the original image in the waters north of Indonesia's West Java province in October 2018.
The debris is from a Lion Air jet that crashed.
Fabricated pictures
Three other images circulating online appear to be fake, likely created using artificial intelligence (AI) technology.
AFP traced the photos to three separate tweets from an account called "Prince of Deepfakes (Parody)," which has previously posted images fabricated using the AI tool Midjourney.
The pictures also feature telltale signs of fakery.
For example, one shows light shining through what appears to be the water's surface. In reality, the Titanic wreckage sits about 12,500 feet (3,810 meters) below sea level.
AFP previously debunked other misinformation about the lost submersible here.
Is there content that you would like AFP to fact-check? Get in touch.
Contact us
