[The RMS Titanic. Credit to Pixabay]

During its latest exploration of the Titanic's wreckage, the company with salvage rights discovered a long lost bronze statue believed to be the ‘Diana of Versailles’.

This artifact, which had been missing for many years and was thought permanently lost, was one of several notable finds made by the company in its first dive to the site in about 14 years.

RMS Titanic Inc, a company based in Georgia with exclusive salvage rights to the century-old shipwreck, shared images from its recent expedition.

This marks the company's first visit to the site since 2010.

The released photos reveal ongoing changes to the Titanic's remains, demonstrating that the wreck continues to evolve even after spending 112 years beneath the ocean's surface.

According to RMS Titanic Inc, the results of their recent summer expedition paint a complex picture of the wreck's condition by revealing both well-preserved areas and signs of deterioration.

A standout discovery was the re-emergence of the ‘Diana of Versaille’ statue, which hadn't been spotted since 1986.

The company reports that they were able to capture a crisp, new image of this long-unseen artifact.

RMS Titanic Inc also reported a more somber finding as a substantial portion of the railing encircling the ship's forecastle deck at the bow had collapsed.

This deterioration occurred quite recently, as the company noted that the railing was still intact when last observed in 2022.

The company stated that while uncovering the Diana statue was thrilling, they were disheartened by the collapse of the iconic bow railing and other signs of deterioration.

These changes have only intensified their resolve to safeguard the Titanic's historical significance.

The expedition team spent nearly three weeks at the Titanic's resting place, concluding their mission in August when they returned to Providence, Rhode Island.

During their time on site, they reportedly captured an unprecedented amount of ultra-high-resolution imagery with a total of over 2 million frames.

The company claims these are the most detailed visual records of the wreck ever produced.

Their team conducted a comprehensive mapping of both the wreck and its surrounding debris field using advanced equipment.

This effort is expected to enhance knowledge of the site's layout and condition.

The company's next task is to analyze the collected data, with plans to share their findings with researchers.

Additionally, this information will be used to identify historically valuable artifacts at risk of deterioration, which may be targeted for retrieval in future missions.

On a somber note, the expedition to the Titanic's remote North Atlantic resting place occurred while the US Coast Guard was still investigating the Titan submersible tragedy.

In June 2023, the Titan experimental vessel, owned by a separate company, imploded during its descent to the Titanic wreck, resulting in the deaths of all five passengers.

Among the victims was Paul-Henri Nargeolet, who had served as the director of underwater research for RMS Titanic Inc.

This recent dive to the Titanic site took place against the backdrop of this separate, ongoing investigation.

The company stated prior to the expedition that it had a particularly significant mission following the death of Nargeolet.