Former UTV reporter Susie Millar, whose great grandfather Thomas died at sea in the disaster, talks to American oceanographer Robert Ballard in June 1987, following his nine-month exploration of the wreck.

Ballard and French oceanographer Jean-Louis Michel co-led the expedition which first discovered the ship's wreckage on 1 September 1985 - over 73 years after Titanic sank.

First describing what he saw in 1985, Ballard said: “The Titanic lies now in 13,000 feet of water on a gently sloping, alpine-looking countryside overlooking a small canyon below. Its bow faces north and the ship sits upright on the bottom.

"There is no light at this great depth and little life can be found. It is a quiet and peaceful place, and a fitting place for the remains of this greatest of sea tragedies to rest. Forever may it remain that way."

When Ballard returned to the site in July 1986, he had a self-propelled underwater robot camera to make the first detailed study of the wreck.

He confirmed that Titanic split in two before sinking and found no evidence of a gash along the ship's starboard side – instead seeing popped rivets and buckled plates.

He believes the impact of the ice caused the steel plates in the ship's hull to buckle, allowing the water in, and told UTV he didn’t think the reason Titanic sank lay in bad workmanship.