Titanic Recovery Efforts Abandoned

An expedition seeking to recover the hull of the liner Titanic from the ocean floor abandoned its attempt Friday, its mission overwhelmed by equipment problems and mechanical failure, a spokeswoman said.

A 20-ton piece of the Titanic’s steel hull, which had been attached by cables to a recovery ship off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada, fell back to the bottom of the sea, said Erin Purcell of Boston-based Reagan Communications, which represents two of the ships used in the expedition.

The hull fell as crews were trying to haul it into shallower water. Several of the bags burst and cables snapped, Purcell said.

The steel-hulled Titanic struck an iceberg on April 14, 1912, and sank, killing 1,523 of the 2,200 passengers and crew on board.