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Finding the TITANIC

By: Robert D. Ballard, Discoverer of the Titanic

Modified by: Erin Sapperstein

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Chapter 1August 25, 1985

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We were looking for the Titanic. The Titanic was a big old ship. Many people wanted to take the Titanic to America.

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The Titanic hit an iceberg on its way to America. It sank in the ocean. People died. Some people lived. I wanted to find the ship at the bottom of the ocean.

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I got a team of scientists together. We built an underwater sled called an Argo. The Argo took video pictures under water.

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We sat in the ship above the water, while the Argo looked for the Titanic far below. We saw a lot of mud. We hoped we’d find the ship!

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Many people who lived told stories about the Titanic. The shipwreck was very scary. We wanted to find some answers.

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Chapter 2April 10, 1912

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Ruth Becker was 12 years old. Her family was taking the Titanic to America. They wanted to live a better life.

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“It’s so big!” Ruth said! Her mom, sister Marion and brother Richard sailed from India to England. They wanted to find a new home in America. She was excited to leave England.

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The ship was big. It had yellow letters on the front that said TITANIC. Their room looked like a hotel. It was pretty.

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The Titanic was very big. A lot of people hoped to find a new life in America. The Titanic was supposed to take them to New York.

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There was a grand staircase, a swimming pool and steam baths. Elevators went up and down. People ate in the dining room that looked like a cafeteria.

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People were excited to see the biggest ship leave England. People cheered on the deck. People cheered in small boats on the water.

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The first few days were easy. The weather was sunny. People were having fun. The Beckers’ ate their meals in the dining room.

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On Sunday the weather got very cold. Ruth sat with her mother. They were hoping they would see an iceberg.

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Chapter 3April 15, 1912

12:30 A.M.

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“Ruth, Ruth, wake up!” Where am I? Ruth wondered. She

rubbed her eyes and then remembered. She was on the Titanic. Her mom told her the boat crashed into an iceberg.

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She got her coat on quickly! She was scared. She and her family ran up to the deck. Her mom, Marion and Richard got into lifeboat No. 11. The crewman said “this boat is full!” So Ruth got into the next boat.

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Ruth was sad. There were not enough life boats for all of the people on the Titanic. She watched the boat sink into the water.

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Chapter 4April 15, 1912

3:00 A.M.

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It was dark and scary on the lifeboats. People called out to try and keep the boats close together. They lit fire. They hoped a big boat would see the fire and help them.

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Finally a big boat did see them! They got on the boat but Ruth could not find her family. She was sad a scared.

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As she looked around, she felt a tap on her shoulder. “Are you Ruth Becker?” an older woman said. “Yes I am!” “Your family is looking for you!” Finally Ruth was back with her family!

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Ruth was so happy! She hugged her mom, Marion, and Richard!

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A few days later the big rescue boat arrived in New York City! People clapped and cheered. They were so excited to be in America.

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But, some people were sad when they couldn’t find friends and family who sank on the Titanic.

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Chapter 5August 31, 1985

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It had been a very long time and now my team of scientists were back in the ocean to look for the Titanic.

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Very carefully we put the Argo into the water. We watched the tv. Finally we saw something! It was the Titanic! It was sitting on the ocean floor.

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We were so excited to have found the boat after so many years! We were happy but wanted to remember the people who died. We sat quietly for a few minutes to think about them.

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Over the next few days we learned a lot about the boat. It broke into 2 pieces. It had big holes in the deck. But we still had more questions. We would have to come back!

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Chapter 6July 13, 1986

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A year later we went back to see the Titanic. This time we took Alvin, a 3 person submarine. We also brought along Jason Junior or JJ. JJ was a robot that could look through parts of the Titanic that we could not see.

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JJ found a lot of cool things. He found a beautiful light, cups, bowls, suitcases, and many other things people had brought on the Titanic.

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Before we left, we put 2 signs on the Titanic. One was in memory of all of the people who died in the crash. The other sign asked people to not hurt the boat or take anything that was there.

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Epilogue

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I was proud we found the ship! The great pictures will help many people learn about the Titanic and remember the people who died in the terrible crash.