The Secrets of the Titanic: The untold story of the world's most famous ship from the explorer known as ‘Mr. Titanic’

by Paul-Henri Nargeolet, Laura Haydon (Translator)

September 1, 1985. The RMS Titanic, which has been missing since April 15, 1912, is found in the North Atlantic where it lies at a depth of 3,821 metres. Paul-Henri Nargeolet, a commander in the French Navy, directed underwater research of part of many expeditions to the wreck, from 1987 until his untimely death in 2023.

With hundreds of hours of diving to the liner and more than five thousand objects brought to the surface, including bottles of champagne, luggage and jewellery, the last secrets of the liner will be revealed, reliving the ship’s maiden voyage and tragic destiny.

Through the incredible story of his expeditions, Paul-Henri Nargeolet brings to life the Titanic, that of its passengers and its crew, and offers a unique point of view on this maritime disaster.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

160 pages, Paperback

Published June 20, 2024

Reviews

[zgodovinske_knjige · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this after the author’s demise in OceanGate 2023 implosion felt… different, eerie. Reading about expeditions and future dreams Mr Nargeolet had for the Titanic was devastating, while at the same time, magical. The authors love for his calling, the ship, exploration was seeping through his words.

[Gina Torn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book in Newport, Rhode Island and as a Titanic enthusiast I had to have it! I can’t even count how many books I have or have read about The Titanic. It’s been one of my favorite historical events since I was a child.

This book was actually translated from French to English and the author is one of the people aboard the Oceangate submersible Titan that sadly imploded in 2023. This is his diary entries only regarding The Titanic.

With every book I read, I still learn something about the ship. I really enjoyed the entries about the artifacts that have been collected and restored. Seeing some of them in person over the years was great but reading about how they were found was cool. It’s a quick read but worth it for any Titanic buff. My copy was 166 pages.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, but no secrets, perhaps I've read too widely on the subject.

[Max · Rating 3 out of 5]

An eerie read. The author was one of the five who died on the Titan expedition in 2023 . He discusses the submersible multiple times.
Overall an interesting read, especially if you are intrigued about recovery efforts of the great ocean liner.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick and interesting read though didn’t learn anything new as I have been reading books on the Titanic for over 20 years now.
I was a little disappointed that the author’s primary experience with the Titanic was through salvage of artifacts rather than scientific study. There also seemed to be some animosity directed towards the discoverer of the Titanic, Robert Ballard by the author in many comments he makes regarding him. I felt like the author was trying to justify his work with RMS Titanic, Inc as just over others who wished to leave the Titanic alone.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some people lead such fascinating lives. I can only imagine the feeling upon seeing the Titanic for the first time. The passion and drive that these crews have is only to be admired. I also enjoyed the tribute from the family- what an amazing person to call Dad and Grandpa.

[Randi Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was very interesting and informative. I wish it was longer and that he had lived to tell of the Titan experience as well. The pictures were a great feature and his descriptions along with previous knowledge felt like you could really see the wreck.

[Greer Andjanetta · Rating 3 out of 5]

A relatively short documentary=type description of diving onto the wreck of the Titanic to recover artifacts. Lots of detail on the ship.

[Dorothy R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Revealing Secrets

I enjoyed all the facts I didn't know about. Hearing about the dives was exciting and heartbreaking.

I recommend this to anyone Interested in the Titanic

[Stacey-girl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable book. Was really interesting. Good amount of history with stories about diving the wreck.

[Jason Steel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic read, super interesting and insightful.

[Gayle (OutsmartYourShelf) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book about the finding of the wreck of the Titanic in September 1985 & the subsequent expeditions to bring to the surface items such as dining sets, luggage & jewellery. Thousands of items have been recovered & yet so much remains down there & not even the ship's lists give the full picture of the items carried. Rumours have abounded since the beginning about millions of pounds' worth of diamonds & gold being interred in the first class safe. There is also the other side of this - treating the wreck with respect due to the loss of life & having those items recovered used in museum exhibitions rather than disappear into private collections.

This was a short yet fascinating look at the expeditions carried out by Paul-Henri Nargeolet. The photographs at the end were very interesting. I didn't realise until reading this book that Nargeolet was one of the men killed by the submersible implosion in 2023. This casts a melancholy pall over points of the book when the author is talking excitedly about the trips he has taken & will take including that ill-fated journey. RIP.