RMS TITANIC / DSRV ALVIN Artifact from Discovery Voyage 1986 - Compressed Cup

When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

RMS TITANIC / DSRV ALVIN Artifact from Discovery Voyage 1986 - Compressed Cup:
$23500.00

style="margin-left: 1in; margin-right: 1in; margin-bottom: 0in; font-weight: normal;">Amazing survivor from the discovery voyage almost 40 years ago. A simple object, transformed by immense pressure. It has within it the story of it's creation, and the lessons of hubris that are part of RMSTITANIC. It is a precious and tenacious object. Crushed by it's trip to the wreck site, 390 times atmospheric pressure, then brought back to the surface, and stowed away carefully for 38 years.A great piece for any serious marine collector, a historic marker of a change in understanding, both of the wreck site, and the events that lead to the sinking. Hold in your hand an object that has been to the RMS Titanic, showing the frailty of the cup and life.Historic legacy from the 1986 voyage by RV ATLANTIS II with Robert Ballard and DSRV ALVIN. A standard Styrofoam coffee cup compressed to about 2"high by 1-1/2" hard object by the tremendous pressure present at the wreck site. Text by a member of the Atlantis II engineering crew(and seller of this object), a vintage scrimshaw. The cup was placed in the basket on the front of DSRV ALVIN, which then descended to the wreck of RMS TITANIC. At a depth of 12,500 feet the Styrofoam was compressed into this artifact.Text written on cup:
RMS TITANTIC
R/V ATLANTIS II
DSRV ALVIN
ROV JASON JR
ANGUS[Crew onboard DSRV ALVIN]
P. Tibbetts (pilot)
B. Kissel
M. MahreDive# 1714 - 3800 meters
Location:
41degrees 46' N
50degrees 14' W
[end]Also included is a copy of sea service letter verifying crew member status, unpublished GPS coordinates for part of the debris field, and personal experiences regarding important voyage events not previously disclosed/published.Note from the crewmember/artist:
The voyage to RMS Titanic takes one into a cold part of the North Atlantic. It's gray there, with a heaving, cold, gray sea. Nothing like the sparkling blue seas off Bermuda, or the months we spent on the East Pacific Rise, voyaging on tranquil Pacific swells near the Galapagos Islands. A somber place, a place where many met an unfortunate (and preventable) death. Cold fogs were as prevalent during our trip as what doomed the Titanic.Short, boisterous and sometimes nasty seas made for tough deck work. ANGUS worked at night to collect the image mosaics seen in the National Geographic Magazine and other publications. These images and video confirmed an extensive debris field (though there are an untold stories there). JASON Jr was tasked with internal wreck scans (also know as dope of a rope). This cup was in the basket on the front of DSRV ALVIN, near JASON Jr.. More details revealed to purchaser.(Received a question asking how I "acquired" this object. I apologize that the above description was not clear. I've included my response to the question, please let me know if you have any further questions. Thanks!)

Thanks for the inquiry. I was a crewmember aboard the R/V Atlantis II during the 1st voyage to the wreck site of RMS Titanic. I had worked for almost 3 years at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, first as a dayworker assisting the Deck Engineer aboard the R/V Atlantis II, then as a watch stander in the Engineering Department. The cup was a standard Styrofoam coffee cup, supplied in the Mess Deck. I drew on the cup, handed it to the DSRV ALVIN crew, where it was placed in the basket forward of the diving sphere. At the conclusion of the dive the cup (severely compressed) was returned to me (the seller).More recently I've worked as a private captain, retiring after being hit by two cars while walking across a street (2018). The cup has been in my collection of nautical memorabilia since the trip, a prized item. It shows the tremendous pressures that exist at the wreck's depth, a point driven home by the recent accident that imploded the Titan submarine operated by OceanGate.Please let me know if you have any additional questions. The buyer will receive a more detailed description of the voyage, events not previously published, and other interesting information.

Regarding the unpublished details (some of which are quite interesting), the release of that information will be up to the buyer. I'll give you a few hints as to some of the information:

1) there was a person onboard the Atlantis II who was NOT on the official list of passenger manifest.

2) an important object was found in the debris field that has not been revealed or discussed publicly to the best of my knowledge

3) The Atlantis II was shadowed by another vessel.

4) One of the reasons for this voyage has not been revealed.Cheers,
Nantasea

Delivery by courier within North America included. Other arrangements can be made by mutual agreement.

I've bought and sold items on for over 23 years, with only a very few glitches in the process. I would like to thank and the community for their support. This is an important artifact which deserves a prominent place in a collection. The associated history and other information will likely be of interest to RMS Titanic collectors, news organizations, authors, and salvors..

A notarized Certificate of Authenticity is included in the sale.

Please let me know if you have any questions.THANKS!