The bow of the Titanic disappears into the sea as terrifying new images show the slow decay of the doomed ship

A new expedition to the Titanic has shed new light on the slow decay of the most famous shipwreck in history.

The ghostly bug, which took on a new form in James Cameron's 1997 blockbuster film adaptation of the disaster, has now lost a large part of its railing.

The Titanic, then the largest and most magnificent passenger ship in the world, sank on her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York in April 1912 after colliding with an iceberg.

Due to technical innovations, the ship was generally considered “unsinkable”, but did not have enough lifeboats for all the people on board and over 1,500 men, women and children lost their lives in one of the worst maritime disasters in history.

The wreck lay undiscovered in the North Atlantic for 73 years after it sank until it was found in 1985 by a French-American expedition led by Jean-Louis Michel and Robert Ballard.

Since then, many expeditions have taken place, including the Titan submersible disaster last summer, raising questions about the ethics of visiting a site that is also a burial place.

Tomasina Ray, head of collections at RMS Titanic Inc., said of the dramatic change: “The bow of the Titanic is just iconic. There are all these moments in pop culture – and that's what you think of when you think of the ship sinking. And it doesn't look like that anymore.”

“It's just another reminder of the decay that's happening every day. People are constantly asking, 'How long is the Titanic going to be there?' We just don't know, but we're watching it in real time.”

“At some point the metal gave way and it fell off.”

However, a group of descendants of the victims claim that the change is not as drastic as it seems.

“Although RMSTI calls this a 'drastic change,' it is only superficial,” claims Titanic Memorial Lighthouse. “Both port and starboard railings were able to be removed to allow the main deck anchor to be deployed by crane.”

They added: “It remains to be seen whether it was actually released by the propeller pressure of their own submersible.”

This summer's expedition – the first since Titan – was carried out by RMS Titanic Inc., an American company that owns exclusive salvage rights to the wreck.

The company emphasizes that its goal is to preserve the ship's heritage through research and recovery of artifacts.

RMS Titanic Inc. has made several expeditions to the wreck and on its most recent mission conducted the most detailed 3D scan of the site ever conducted.

Although no artifacts were recovered during the mission this summer, its goal was to identify objects of historical significance for future recoveries.

This part of the search proved particularly productive, and a statue from the First Class Longue was discovered on the seabed, which had been torn apart during the sinking.

The Diana of Versailles was discovered in 1986, but has not been seen since.

Titanic researcher James Penca said: “It was like looking for a needle in a haystack and the rediscovery this year was significant.”

“The First Class Lounge was the most beautiful and incredibly detailed room on the ship. And the centerpiece of this room was the Diana of Versailles.

“But unfortunately the lounge was torn open when the Titanic broke in two during the sinking. And in the chaos and destruction, Diana was ripped from her coat and landed in the darkness of the wreckage.”

Mr Penca believes the discovery of the statue is proof of why the site should be further explored.

“The rediscovery of the Diana statue is the perfect argument against leaving the Titanic alone,” said Mr Penca.

“This was a work of art that was meant to be viewed and appreciated. And now this beautiful work of art lies on the sea floor… in pitch black darkness where it has lain for 112 years.

“Bringing Diana back so people can see her with their own eyes is a valuable contribution to awakening a love of history, diving, conservation, shipwrecks and sculpture. I could never leave that on the seabed.”

The ethical issues of continuing to explore the site came to public attention last summer when five men were killed on a commercial trip to the wreck that cost $250,000 per person.

However, this summer's expedition was not carried out by manned submersibles, but by remotely operated vehicles (ROVs).

The Independent has contacted RMS Titanic Inc. for comment.