Welcome to Useless Knowledge: Edition 16. This time it is about the ship that was believed to be Unsinkable.



Scienists estimate that the shipwreck of the Titanic could disappear within 10 to 20 years. This is due to a rust eating bacteria that has been eating its way through the hull of the ship. The bacteria is actually named after the Titanic and is called Halomonas titanicae. The bacteria lives as part of the rusticles on the ship. Rusticles are like icicles but are made of rust and many assorted kinds of bacteria.

Rusticles on the Titanic.

While every shipwreck has some kind of bacteria living on it, most of those bacteria help to protect the shipwreck from decay. They stop decay by creating a biofilm that slows the corrosion of the ship, which can preserve them for extremely long amounts of time (there are still shipwrecks that can be seen dating back to the 14th century!). The Titanic is facing an entirely fate though as its bacteria (H. titanicae), apparently just loves to eat iron and does not protect the ship from corrosion by the seawater.

The Titanic has been sunk for 109 years.


Officers Quarters of the Titanic.

Sources are found here and here.

Your discussions are always so fascinating to read through, regardless of what you’re writing about. You have a definite skill when it comes to captivating an audience, Loki. ?