"Halomonas titanicae has flagella which means it is like tentacles that helps the bacteria swim from place to place. The distance it can travel is not always great unless currents in the ocean help it along and then it can travel great distances. It can utilize iron as a source off food or energy. Due to the utilization of metal on the Titanic hull, it takes individual atoms of iron (oxidizes) out of the hull which makes the structure weaker and it will eventually rust completely and collapse (this is done by thousands of bacteria working together)."-Dr. Henrietta Mann
"Within a year or two of being installed, rusticles begin to form on the moorings of oil rigs. The corrosion caused by the formation of rusticles, bacteria and normal processes incurs costs in the millions of dollars to the marine industry.
The identification of the Halomonas titanicae bacteria helps shed light on rusticle formation. This knowledge can be used to assist the marine industry. These bacteria can also be used to dispose of old merchant and naval ships and oil rigs in the ocean after they have been cleaned of toxins and oil based products.
The story of the RMS Titanic is well known internationally. It has captured our imaginations throughout history. We have explored the wreck, taken artifacts and scientific samples. It is through these samples that we continue to learn so much about the deterioration of the Titanic wreck and how this knowledge can be used to help maintain other metal structures in the marine environment. "-Henrietta Mann, Bhavleen Kaur, Mathew Cole, Antonio Ventosa, and Cristina Sánchez-Porro
The identification of the Halomonas titanicae bacteria helps shed light on rusticle formation. This knowledge can be used to assist the marine industry. These bacteria can also be used to dispose of old merchant and naval ships and oil rigs in the ocean after they have been cleaned of toxins and oil based products.
The story of the RMS Titanic is well known internationally. It has captured our imaginations throughout history. We have explored the wreck, taken artifacts and scientific samples. It is through these samples that we continue to learn so much about the deterioration of the Titanic wreck and how this knowledge can be used to help maintain other metal structures in the marine environment. "-Henrietta Mann, Bhavleen Kaur, Mathew Cole, Antonio Ventosa, and Cristina Sánchez-Porro
"What is fascinating to me is that we tend to have this idea that these wrecks are time capsules frozen in time, when in fact there all kinds of complex ecosystems feeding off them, even at the bottom of that great dark ocean,"-Dan Conlin, curator of maritime history at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic