Rare footage of the iconic Titanic discovery has been unearthed.
The footage from 1986 captures the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution team discovering the wrecked remains of the ship that sank in 1912.
"The first thing I saw coming out of the gloom at 30 feet was this wall, this giant wall of riveted steel that rose over 100 and some feet above us," Robert Ballard, retired NAVY officer and professor of oceanography at the University of Rhode Island, told the Associated Press.
Ballard described the scene as said he stunned by the size of the vessel and the fact that there were still shoes from the ship's patrons in tact.
"After the Titanic sank, those that went into the water that didn't have lifejackets died of hypothermia and their bodies came raining down," he said.
The footage comes on the heels of the re-release of the 1997 drama Titanic earlier this month in celebration of the film's 26th anniversary.
In the video of the ship's discovery, shots of the ship's interior are visible, which Ballad described as haunting.
"More than a century after the loss of Titanic, the human stories embodied in the great ship continue to resonate," James Cameron, director of the film, said in a statement. "Like many, I ws transfixed when Alvin and Jason Jr ventured down to and inside the wreck. By releaseing this footage, WHOI is helping tell an important part of a story that spans generations and circles the globe."
