17 hours agoShareSaveShareSaveRebecca Morelle, Alison Francis and Kevin ChurchBBC News ScienceOne of the most famous polar shipwrecks has been filmed in detail on the sea floor for the first time.The Terra Nova carried Captain Scott and his men on their doomed expedition to reach the South Pole more than a century ago.The British party lost the race to the pole, and died on their return journey in 1912.The footage shows the Terra Nova colonised with sea life, but key features of the wooden ship are still visible including its wheel, winch and mast.Getty Images/SPRIThe new footage from the deep provides another chance to retell Scott’s story, says David Waterhouse.”It’s a story that’s really got the whole package – the heroism, the tragedy,” he said.”And, I guess, as British people, we like an underdog, and they were so close to being the first to the pole and making it back alive.”The ship that witnessed so much history now has a very different existence lying beneath the waves at the other end of the planet.It’s not in good condition. While the centre of the ship is relatively intact, there is a lot of damage at the stern and the bow has split into two.But it’s become a reef of life, says Leighton Rolley.”It’s full of fish, it’s got corals growing on it – it’s become one with the ocean.” …
