Sub dive reveals parts of Titanic are being lost to sea

Some parts of the wreckage of the Titanic that sank over 100 years ago in the Atlantic Ocean is deteriorating rapidly, according to an international team of deep-sea explorers.

Strong ocean currents, salt corrosion and metal-eating bacteria are attacking the ship, which sank in 1912 on its maiden voyage.

While parts of the wreck, which lies 3,800m down in the Atlantic, were in surprisingly good condition, other features had been lost to the sea, the team found over the course of five submersible dives, the BBC reported on Wednesday.

The worst decay was seen on the starboard side of the officers' quarters.

Titanic historian Parks Stephenson said some of what he saw during the dive was "shocking".

"The captain's bathtub is a favourite image among Titanic enthusiasts - and that's now gone," he said.

"That whole deck house on that side is collapsing, taking with it the state rooms. And that deterioration is going to continue advancing."