Seabourn expedition ship discovers historic wreck

On Oct. 14 the submarine uncovered Titania, a German supply ship lost for 110 years, lying 95 meters below the surface. This marks the first sighting of Titania since it was scuttled in 1914.

Expedition spirit

'Experiences like these are a testament to the spirit of expedition, and this discovery is nothing short of historic,' said Robin West, VP 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,' he asserted. 'I am so incredibly proud of our expedition team for delivering this once-in-a-lifetime and truly unforgettable "Seabourn Moment" to our guests and the local community on Selkirk Island.'

Research and coordination with local communities

Titania's discovery was made possible through the submarine team's dedicated research and close coordination with local communities to provide passengers a unique experience. Led by submarine pilot Mauricio Fernandez, the team — which included Kieran Buckley, Henrik Enckell and Isaac Yebra — worked with a local fisherman, Gino Perez, who had long heard stories about Titania’s approximate location.

Perez joined the dive and helped guide the team toward the suspected wreck site. Under ideal weather conditions, the team found Titania about 4.25 nautical miles off the northwest coast of Selkirk. The island’s harbor master subsequently confirmed no other diver or submarine had ever visited the wreck.

Mauricio Fernandez, lead submarine pilot PHOTO: SEABOURN

A moving experience

Fernandez said the emotion in the submarine was palpable.

And Irene Blum, a passenger who was on the dive, described it as 'almost magical.'

It was particularly meaning for Perez, who related: 'I imagined this ship so many times and now I can see where she is, what she looks like and how she is resting at the bottom. Thank you so much. My father manages this sector of the island, this means a lot to us and our family history.'

Stories passed down for generations

Titania was scuttled on Nov. 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.

Seabourn Pursuit was on a South Pacific voyage that traversed more than 4,000 miles between Melanesia, French Polynesia and San Antonio, Chile.

More South Pacific expeditions in 2025

Seabourn will offer similar deployment in 2025 including four voyages on Pursuit: a pair of 20-day itineraries departing March 18 from San Antonio to Papeete, Tahiti and Oct. 10 from Papeete to San Antonio, an 18-day itinerary from Papeete to Sydney departing April 7 and a 16-day 'Remote Shores of New Guinea & Indonesia' on April 24, from Sydney to Darwin.