The U.S. government is trying to stop a planned expedition to recover items of historical interest from the sunken Titanic, citing a federal law and an international agreement that treat the shipwreck as a hallowed gravesite.
The expedition is being organized by RMS Titanic Inc., the Georgia-based firm that owns the salvage rights to the world’s most famous shipwreck. The company exhibits artifacts that have been recovered from the wreck site at the bottom of the North Atlantic, from silverware to a piece of the Titanic’s hull.
The U.S. argues that entering the Titanic’s severed hull - or physically altering or disturbing the wreck - is regulated by federal law and its agreement with Britain. Among the government’s concerns is the possible disturbance of artifacts and any human remains that may still exist. The company said it plans to take images of the entire wreck. That includes “inside the wreck where deterioration has opened chasms sufficient to permit a remotely operated vehicle to penetrate the hull without interfering with the current structure.”
“At this time, the company does not intend to cut into the wreck or detach any part of the wreck,” RMST stated. The company has not filed a response in court, but it previously challenged the constitutionality of U.S. efforts to “infringe” on its salvage rights to a wreck in international waters. The firm has argued that only the court in Norfolk has jurisdiction, and points to centuries of precedent in maritime law.
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A new Titanic expedition is planned. The US is fighting it, says wreck is a grave siteThe U.S. government is trying to stop a planned expedition to the sunken Titanic shipwreck that could recover items of historic interest.
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A new Titanic expedition is planned. The US is fighting it, says wreck is a grave siteThe U.S. government is trying to stop a planned expedition to the sunken Titanic shipwreck that could recover items of historic interest.
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