‘The Big Piece’

Las Vegas is known for its bright lights, casinos, and nightlife, but it's also home to some surprising pieces of history. Nestled away in the Luxor Resort is a section of the Titanic.

As Titanic broke apart, large sections of the ship tore away and sank to the ocean floor. While two substantial halves of the ship lie on the seafloor, the large area of scattered debris between them is made up of items as small as coal, to entire deck sections of the Titanic.

In the 1990s, a section of the Titanic's hull plating was found in the debris field, measuring about 25 feet long and 25 feet wide, and weighing about 20 tons.

In 1996, an expedition set out with the intent of salvaging this section of the Titanic's hull, now named "The Big Piece." Once on site, the submersible Nautile descended quickly and attached lines through and around the Big Piece. Then, carefully, the Nautile attached recovery lift bags filled with diesel fuel instead of air, which could withstand the pressure in the depths of the ocean. Slowly but surely, the Big Piece started to ascend to the surface.

In front of journalists and two cruise ships filled with thousands of cheering people, the tops of the recovery lift bags burst through the ocean's surface. 

Step one of the rescue was complete, but now they were faced with a new issue: The Big Piece was at the surface, but the winch to connect it to the recovery ship wasn't strong enough. Instead, hulking chunk of the Titanic was attached to the ships underpowered winch, to be towed underwater behind the recovery ship. But the journey wouldn't be smooth. Hurricane Edouard was moving in fast, the swells putting strain on the overladen winch. Eventually, the lines snapped. The Big Piece quickly sank down through the dark water, back to the ocean floor.

The recovery was ultimately a failure, but it wasn't the only attempt. In 1998, it was time to try again. The Big Piece was relocated, this time standing upright in the sea mud, where it was left in the last attempted recovery. This time, the Big Piece was successfully brought all the way to the surface. For the first time in over 80 years, sunlight touched the hull.

There was no time to relax, The Big Piece now had to remain under constant care to ensure it could be properly preserved. Once in the United States, The Big Piece would undergo years of restoration and undertake a tour of the U.S., before finding its forever home in a Las Vegas hotel.