Titanic’s Bow Deck Railing Has Broken Off as Shown in New Photos

The Titanic wreckage has lost part of one of its most famous features, a new expedition has found.

A section of the railings on the ship’s iconic bow deck was discovered to have broken off in a July expedition to the wreck site at the bottom of the North Atlantic Ocean led by RMS Titanic Inc.

The company with salvage rights to the wreck wrote of the discovery in a statement: “After 13 days focused on the debris field, the Expedition team was excited to get their first glance at the Bow on July 29.”

“However, the moment of excitement and anticipation was immediately shaken by a significant change to the familiar silhouette. The once miraculously intact railing surrounding the Bow’s forecastle deck was missing a 15-foot-long section on the port side.”

RMS Titanic Inc. explained that the railing section was later discovered “lying on the seafloor directly below.”

“We are saddened by this loss and the inevitable decay of the ship and the debris,” the company added.

The Titanic sank after hitting an iceberg on its very first voyage from England to New York City in 1912. More than 1,500 passengers died in the catastrophe.

The fallen piece previously made up the iconic imagery of the Titanic’s bow deck, which was shared in photos from previous expeditions.

The deck was also famously recreated in James Cameron’s 1997 film Titanic as characters Jack and Rose stood on the front railings together with their arms outspread while sailing on the ship across the North Atlantic.

This is the ninth expedition organized by RMS Titanic Inc. to the wreck after first coming to the site in 1987.

During the latest journey, the company also shared its discovery of an ornament of the Roman goddess “Diana of Versailles” on the seabed from inside the ship.

According to the company, the 2-foot-tall bronze statuette was used as a centerpiece in the First Class Lounge.

“The lounge was torn open during Titanic’s sinking and Diana was thrown to the debris field where she has rested for over a century,” RMS Titanic In.c stated, per the release. “She was photographed once in1986 but a tradition of secrecy around the Titanic wreck ensured her location would remain unknown.”

“That is until Expedition partner TITANIC: HONOR AND GLORY spotted what they believed to be Diana in footage from a previous RMST dive and passed along a rough search area to our Expedition team.”