The mystery and allure of the Titanic, more than 100 years after it sank, continues to fascinate us all. What’s remarkable about the wreck at the bottom of the Atlantic is that it’s like a time capsule from 1912 — everything from musical instruments to clothes are preserved under the sea.
Among the recovered relics, one particular type of object is strikingly abundant in the ghostly remains of the ship.
The site, scattered with remnants of the past, is notably home to a curious number of shoes. Not just random shoes, but pairs of shoes, almost always found together.
One might not think twice about a couple of pairs, but the sheer number of them at the site is mind-boggling, and there’s a poignant reason behind this phenomenon.
The shoes, mostly made of leather, contained high levels of tannic acid, which helped preserve them in the deep ocean waters.
Why in pairs, though? Observers of the wreck have noted something else: the eerie absence of human remains amidst the underwater debris.
Thousands perished in the tragedy, so the question arises — where are the bodies?
It turns out, they are there, in a way.
The pairs of shoes signify the final resting places of the Titanic’s unfortunate passengers. The deep-sea conditions and marine life have long since eroded the human remains.
Studies have shown that a pig carcass, similar in size to a human body, can decompose to bones within just days when submerged in the sea, and even bones disintegrate within months.
After over a century, it’s no wonder that little remains. However, the durable leather and the tannins within it have given the shoes of the Titanic an unintended immortality, serving as a somber memorial to the lives lost.
Thus, the numerous pairs of shoes encountered during expeditions are not just artifacts; they are the last traces of the individuals who perished in the tragic sinking of the Titanic.