Local News

Famed oceanographer to discuss discovery of Titanic wreckage in Peoria ahead of exhibit premiere

WCBU | By Joe Deacon

Published September 23, 2025 at 3:29 PM CDT

Robert Ballard, who discovered the sunken Titanic in the North Atlantic in September 1985, holds a replica of the ship during a news conference in Washington, D.C., July 30, 1986. Ballard said its collision with an iceberg in April of 1912 did not create a huge gash in the hull as many, including himself, had long supposed. — Robert Ballard, who discovered the sunken Titanic in the North Atlantic, holds a replica of the ship during a news conference in Washington, D.C., on July 30, 1986. Ballard said the ship's collision with an iceberg in April of 1912 did not create a huge gash in the hull as many, including himself, had long supposed.

The world renowned oceanographer famous for leading the team that located the wreckage of the Titanic 40 years ago this month will visit Peoria this week to discuss that historic finding.

Dr. Robert Ballard will be the featured guest Thursday as Bradley University’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute [OLLI] begins its “Voices and Visionaries” Distinguished Speaker Series.

In 1985, Ballard led a joint American and French expedition in search of the long-lost wreck in the northern Atlantic Ocean.

Ballard will share insights from the search during a presentation that begins at 6:30 p.m. at Renaissance Coliseum. Admission is free, but online registration is required in advance.

His appearance, hosted in partnership with the Peoria Riverfront Museum, will debut a traveling exhibition entitled “Finding Titanic: The Secret Mission” on Saturday.

Ballard joins the Ocean Exploration Trust in presenting the exhibit that is set for an extensive international tour following its Peoria premiere.

“After 40 years of silence, I now have the opportunity to tell the true story of our discovery of the RMS Titanic from 1985,” Ballard said in a media release.

According to the release, Ballard and his team found the ship more than 12,000 feet below the ocean’s surface, marking a major milestone in oceanographic science. But there’s more to the mission that’s only recently revealed.

Ballard had been tasked with a top-secret Navy mission to locate two lost nuclear submarines, and the search for the Titanic was used as a cover story to keep the assignment hidden. The twist came when he actually found the historic wreck.

Ballard also will kick off the Peoria Riverfront Museum’s America Forward speaker series with an 11 a.m. presentation on Saturday. Later that night, the Peoria Symphony Orchestra will present “Titanic Live” at the Peoria Civic Center’s Prairie Home Alliance Theater.

The orchestra will perform the score to a big screen projection of director James Cameron’s Oscar-winning 1997 drama “Titanic,” starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet.