<Tr> <Th> Location </Th> <Td> 370 miles (600 km) south - southeast of Newfoundland, North Atlantic Ocean </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Operator </Th> <Td> White Star Line (now merged with Cunard Line) </Td> </Tr> <P> The wreck of the RMS Titanic lies at a depth of about 12,500 feet (3.8 km; 2.37 mi), about 370 miles (600 km) south - southeast off the coast of Newfoundland . It lies in two main pieces about a third of a mile (600 m) apart . The bow is still recognizable with many preserved interiors, despite deterioration and damage sustained hitting the sea floor . In contrast, the stern is completely ruined . A debris field around the wreck contains hundreds of thousands of items spilled from the ship as she sank . The bodies of the passengers and crew would have also been distributed across the sea bed, but have been consumed by other organisms . </P> <P> Titanic sank in 1912, when she collided with an iceberg during her maiden voyage . Numerous expeditions tried using sonar to map the sea bed in the hope of finding it, but were unsuccessful . In 1985, the wreck was finally located by a joint French--American expedition led by Jean - Louis Michel of IFREMER and Robert Ballard of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution . The wreck has been the focus of intense interest and has been visited by numerous expeditions . Controversial salvage operations have recovered thousands of items, which have been conserved and put on public display . </P>

Where was the wreck of the titanic discovered in 1985