Newly-released photographs from the wreck of the Titanic have shown a large section of the ship's iconic bow has decayed and fallen to the ocean floor.
The images were released by RMS Titantic Inc which conducts expeditions to the wreck of the ship.
The bow was made famous in James Cameron's 1997 film, where Jack had his "King of the World" moment and taught Rose to fly.
According to the company after 13 days focused on the debris field, the team got their first glance at the bow on 29 July.
However, they then realised the "once miraculously intact railing surrounding the bow’s forecastle deck was missing a 15ft-long section on the port side."
The team immediately reviewed the multibeam imagery from two days prior to confirm that the section of railing had fallen as one piece and was lying on the seafloor directly below.
The company said: "We are saddened by this loss and the inevitable decay of the Ship and the debris.
"Over the course of the next few weeks and months, we will conduct a more thorough review of Titanic's condition and her changes over time.
"Although Titanic’s collapse is inevitable, this evidence strengthens our mission to preserve and document what we can before it is too late."
A bronze statue of Roman goddess Diana was also rediscovered on the seabed during the expedition.
Fine art decorated the halls and rooms throughout #TITANIC, but beauty is a delicate thing. Much of TITANIC's fine art was made of organic materials, breaking down into the earth after many decades submerged in the hostile environment of the #NorthAtlantic. pic.twitter.com/zVauzPWDTq
— RMS Titanic, Inc. (@RMSTitanic_Inc) September 1, 2024
Some 1,500 passengers and crew lost their lives in the tragedy, which happened in April 1912.
