The stunningly tragic and grimly ironic tale of the RMS Titanic remains a cultural touchstone a century after the ship first sunk to the bottom of the Atlantic.

Now, scientists are revealing the first full-scale high-resolution scans of the entire wreck, showing haunting steel decks slowly crumbling to dust on the seafloor:

The first full-sized digital scan of the Titanic, which lies 3,800m (12,500ft) down in the Atlantic, has been created using deep-sea mapping.

It provides a unique 3D view of the entire ship, enabling it to be seen as if the water has been drained away.

Just get a look at these shots:

Here's some of the 3D models set to video:

Scientists have been worried for years about the rapidly deteriorating state of the wreck due to microbe consumption of the ship's steel (yeah, even way down there in the dark pressure of the deep sea, there's little microorganisms that can devour entire ships).

The full scan "freezes the wreck in time, and will allow experts to pore over every tiny detail."