In December, members of the Kent community attended a lecture called “From Manned Submersibles to Underwater Drones and Robots,” presented by Commander Paul-Henry Nargeolet, an expert on the Titanic wreckage.

Nargeolet is a former French Navy commander and is the Director of the Underwater Research Program for RMS Titanic Inc. RMS has made multiple trips to the wreckage site, collecting thousands of Titanic artifacts. The company strives “preserv[e] the legacy of Titanic and continue to tell her story to future generations.” Nargeolet’s works have been exhibited all over the globe. In addition, he regularly consults reputable media corporations in the subject.

During the lecture, the expert talked about his dives of 12,000 feet into the site, including one on which he brought along astronaut Buzz Aldrin. He also shared his success with RMS and other current projects.

According to Nargeolet, even as this article is being read, the RMS Titanic Inc. is building a database with all information from the wreckage site for a “Mapping Project.” Nargeolet himself used Remotely and Autonomous Operated Vehicles (ROV and AUV) to create 3D models and record photos and videos of the Titanic and targeted artifacts.

Closing his lecture, the expert he showed the audience an up-close video of the Titanic, the “unsinkable” 886 feet long, 92 feet wide ship.

Even though the video was certainly the most memorable image for the audience, Nargeolet awed Kent students throughout his entire presentation. Many were even inspired to further explore the Titanic.

Dr. Ben Nadire, director of the Wentz Pre-Engineering Program, feels that “the presentation made the audience aware of how underwater exploration and preservation of the Titanic wreck site are conducted and documented.”