'Rare' Footage of Titanic Shipwreck Released for First Time: See into Chief Officer's Cabin and More

It has been nearly four decades since the first manned mission to the RMS Titanic captured images of the famed ocean liner that struck an iceberg at sea in April 1912 and sank, killing more than 1,500 people.

Much of the footage from that voyage to the shipwreck in the depths of the Atlantic Ocean has never been released to the public — until now.

The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) has just released never-before-seen video of the wreck on YouTube to celebrate the 25th anniversary of James Cameron's 1997 film Titanic.

The "rare, uncut footage" includes nearly 90 minutes of images from the July 1986 voyage that, according to Today, helped inspire the award-winning movie.

RELATED: The Titanic: Looking Back at the Ship's Tragic History

Courtesy of WHOI Archives © Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

The Titanic's remnants were first discovered by a WHOI team led by Dr. Robert Ballard on Sept. 1, 1985, nearly 75 years after the ship sank on April 14, 1912, according to a press release from the Massachusetts-based company.

Nine months later, another WHOI team led by Ballard returned to the site and filmed the wreckage, making them the first group to personally view the ship's final resting place.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Using human-operated and remote-operated vessels Alvin and Jason Jr., the explorers scoured the long-lost shipwreck as they gathered images along the ocean floor.

"I must say, to literally land on the deck of the Titanic was quite amazing, almost just hard to believe," Ballard told Today.

Courtesy of WHOI Archives © Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Entering the Titanic's wreckage was like "entering a preserved museum," Ballard said, adding that the deeper that they went, "the more preserved it was."

"It's sort of like their tombstone," he continued, per the report, "and to see a mother's shoes and next to her, her baby's shoes, that's pretty powerful."

At about 34 minutes into the new video, according to video highlights provided by WHOI, Jason Jr. peers "into a chief officer's cabin, and a promenade window."

RELATED: Centuries-Old Shipwrecks Found Near Colombia Carrying Treasure That Could Be Worth Billions

Additional footage of the Titanic has been captured and released in the years following Alvin and Jason Jr.'s groundbreaking expedition.

In August 2022, OceanGate Expeditions released "the very first 8K video" of the Titanic, taken earlier that year, which showed some of the ship's specific characteristics.

The footage also showed "dramatic evidence of decay" in portions of the wreckage, and will be used to monitor the rate of decay for future comparisons.

Courtesy of WHOI Archives © Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

The WHOI's exploration of the Titanic is considered a pivotal moment in oceanography.

WHOI engineer Dana Yoerger said the 1986 expedition, which she worked on, "changed how we explore the deep ocean," according to CBS News.

RELATED: Mysterious Object Found on Florida Beach Is Likely a Shipwreck from the 1800s, Archeologists Say

"For WHOI and the entire ocean research community, these advances provided an important foundation for modern deep-sea exploration technology," Yoerger said, per the report.