Luxury Cruise Ship Discovers Remains of WW1-Era Ship That Sank in 1914

Seabourn Pursuit, one of Seabourn’s luxury expedition cruise ships, discovered the Titania, a German World War I-era vessel, during a submarine dive.

The discovery happened on Oct. 14 when guests took the ship’s submarine down to see the ocean floor in Chile’s Juan Fernandez Archipelago. Lying 95 meters below the surface, they found the Titania, the first sighting of the ship since it sank.

“Experiences like these are a testament to the spirit of expedition, and this discovery is nothing short of historic,” said Robin West, vice president and general manager of expeditions at Seabourn. “Seabourn’s expeditions and particularly our submarine explorations often take our guests to places where no other human has ever explored.”

Led by Submarine Pilot Mauricio Fernandez, his team worked with a local fisherman, Gino Perez, who had long heard stories about the Titania’s approximate location. Perez joined the dive and helped guide the team toward the suspected site of the wreck. After the discovery, the island’s harbor master confirmed that no other diver or submarine had ever visited the wreck before.

Fernandez shared how the emotion in the submarine was palpable. “We were there witnessing history, and our guests had the chance to be a part of this discovery of Titania and the first to see this ship after she sank to the bottom of the ocean 110 years ago. This was truly a special moment of discovery and a perfect example of how Seabourn expeditions continue to provide our guests with incredible Seabourn Moments throughout each journey.”  

Titania was scuttled on November 19, 1914, and stories of the wreck passed down through generations. While fishermen occasionally discovered metal fragments in their lobster traps that they believed belonged to the vessel, the wreck had never been officially located until now.

The discovery took place during one of Seabourn Pursuit’s South Pacific voyages which traversed more than 4,000 miles between Melanesia, French Polynesia and San Antonio, Chile.