'Diving down the grand staircase.' WHOI Titanic footage nominated for two Webbies.

It's been nearly 40 years since the wreck of the RMS Titanic — which sank on April 14, 1912 — was found deep in the North Atlantic, but Andy Bowen, a principal engineer at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, still vividly recalls the humility he felt as one of the first to see footage from the depths.

Even as scientists explored the ruins, including a team from Woods Hole, "it could never be too far from our thoughts how many people had died," he recalled, talking by phone on Thursday.

Now, WHOI footage captured in July 1986 by cameras on the WHOI-operated human-occupied submersible Alvin and its associated, remotely operated Jason Junior, is up for two Webby Awards, and the institution is reaching out to its fans to encourage votes.

Presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, the Webby Awards are international awards recognizing excellence on the internet.

"They have been hailed as the 'internet’s highest honor' by The New York Times and are considered 'the Oscars of the internet,'" according to WHOI.

WHOI is nominated for its video, "When Alvin Visited the Wreck of the Titanic," which was released on Feb. 16, 2023 and included some footage never previously released to the public.

"The rare, uncut, and unnarrated footage of the wreck of Titanic marks the first time humans set eyes on the ill-fated ship since 1912 and includes many other iconic scenes," according to the institution.

The video runs for nearly 1 hour and 22 minutes, revealing the ghostly outlines of the famed ocean liner and details inside, such as paneling along a passageway and a chandelier still dangling from a ceiling. Since it was released in 2023, it's tallied 2.4 million views.

WHOI is vying for an award in the viral video category, chosen by the Academy, as well as for the Webby People’s Voice Award, voted on by the public. It's up against a 2.44-minute trailer for the Barbie movie, the three-minute "Moonlight Sonata by Santa Baby composer Philip Springer" music video, Jimmy Fallon's 48-second "Jimin Experience" video, and a 13-second video of a cat sneaking snacks by The Loki Show.

For this year's Webby Awards, the IADAS received nearly 13,000 entries from all 50 states and 70 countries. It's the first time WHOI has been nominated in two categories. In the past, it was nominated for its Ocean Encounters virtual series.

Bowen, who specializes in remotely operated submersibles, propulsion and control systems, and using remotely operated systems for oceanographic research, was part of the 1986 team that captured the nominated Titanic video. While he was not with the Alvin dive team during the exploratory dives, he helped make the exploration possible.

"I was responsible for the mechanical design work on Jason Jr.," said Bowen. He is also the director of the National Science Foundation-funded National Deep Submergence Facility at WHOI, which maintains and operates three specialized underwater vehicles for the U.S. deep-submergence research community.

As a young engineer, he said, "I was personally incredibly satisfied to see it (Jason) successful and gathering this unique footage in places the submarine (Alvin) could not go. Like diving down the grand staircase of the Titanic. That was not something you could do in Alvin," he said. "We were amazed to see where it could be used."

Bowen recalled flying up to Newfoundland, and then taking a helicopter out to the Titanic site to pick up those first video recordings and bring them home for review at WHOI. They also delivered needed parts for continued exploration, in addition to a special treat for the WHOI team: pizza from Captain Kidd's in Woods Hole. As a joke, Bowen said he also delivered a bill, "with a $20,000 delivery fee for a $6 pizza."

Thirty-eight years later, he said the team is "very pleased" that release of that footage has been nominated for Webbies.

"It's an honor," he said, and also a nice occasion "to reflect on the achievement for Woods Hole" of recording the first explorations inside the wreck.

"It kind of brings the whole event (of the sinking) to life, in a sense, all those years later," Bowen said. "And it's sobering, of course, to see the wreck on the seafloor" and to see the scene "of so much human drama.

"Titanic has always occupied a special place in people's imagination," he said.

WHOI fans can cast their votes for WHOI's video now through April 18 by visiting www.tinyurl.com/vote4WHOI-Titanic

Winners will be announced on April 23.

Heather McCarron writes about climate change, environment, energy, science and the natural world, in addition to news and features in Barnstable and Brewster. Reach her at hmccarron@capecodonline.com, or follow her on X @HMcCarron_CCT

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: WHOI Titanic video nominated for Webby Awards. How to help them win.