Marine forensics - historic shipwrecks determination of the root cause

This paper will discuss the type of information required for the investigation of ship wrecks. This includes the data required; interview of survivors; guidelines to be met for any underwater exploration or recovery of items; practical, legal and political inhibitions to marine forensic investigations; and calculations. These points will be illustrated by shipwrecks that the Panel has investigated such as the RMS Titanic, RMS Lusitanian, DKM Bismarck, and M/V Estonia. The paper will bring forth what information is required to determine the root cause of the loss and lessons learned for ship designers and operators.