Titanic lecture raises awareness of legendary sunken liner

Looking for a break from the steady stream of Christmas-themed movies and music that tend to dominate the holidays?

Well, what's more different than that famous Atlantic Ocean shipwreck roughly 400 miles off of Newfoundland, otherwise known as the Titanic?

The University of South Carolina Beaufort, along with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, is presenting "Tales from Titanic" at 1:30 p.m. Friday.

In 1998, 86 years after the luxury ocean liner sank into its watery grave, a team of salvagers scoured the wreckage for artifacts with the help of a Seneca high school physics teacher.

Bill Willard, who along with his wife built the vehicle usedin 1998 to reach the wreckage, will speak about the Titanic -- from its construction, to its tragic maiden voyage, to the efforts by scientists and salvage groups to preserve its contents.

The presentation promises to be far more than just an oral history.

Willard will show off the Remote Operated Vehicle, or ROV, which dove to the floor of the Atlantic to find the Titanic's treasure.