The U.S. government is currently opposing an upcoming expedition organized by RMS Titanic Inc. to recover historical artifacts from the sunken Titanic. The government cites federal law and an international agreement that designate the shipwreck as a sacred gravesite. RMS Titanic Inc., the Georgia-based company that holds the salvage rights, displays retrieved artifacts from the wreck at the bottom of the North Atlantic.
This legal battle, taking place in the U.S. District Court in Norfolk, Virginia, revolves around federal law and an agreement with Great Britain to treat the sunken Titanic as a memorial for the over 1,500 people who perished. The U.S. argues that any physical alteration or disturbance of the wreck, including entering the severed hull, is regulated by federal law and the agreement with Britain. The government is concerned about the potential disruption of artifacts and potential human remains.
The government emphasizes that RMS Titanic Inc. cannot disregard the enacted federal law and its intended actions would deprive the shipwreck of the protections granted by Congress. The expedition was tentatively planned for May 2024, with the company aiming to capture images of the entire wreck, recover artifacts from the debris field, and possibly retrieve objects from inside the Marconi room.
The Marconi room held the ship’s radio apparatus, which transmitted distress signals after the Titanic struck an iceberg. Recovering the radio is of historical and cultural significance. However, the U.S. government maintains that RMST must obtain a permit from the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, who oversees the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), to proceed with the expedition.
RMST argues that it does not need a permit and has challenged the constitutionality of U.S. efforts to infringe on its salvage rights. The company claims that only the court in Norfolk has jurisdiction and cites maritime law precedent. RMST has been granted salvage rights for three decades, during which it has recovered and preserved numerous Titanic artifacts.
The previous legal battle between RMST and the U.S. government in 2020, which was halted due to the pandemic, revolved around a planned expedition to retrieve the radio from the wreck. Permission was initially granted by U.S. District Judge Rebecca Beach Smith, who acknowledged the historical importance of the radio. However, the U.S. government filed a legal challenge that ultimately postponed the expedition.
Due to the complications caused by the pandemic, RMST indefinitely postponed its plans in early 2021. The company remains committed to preserving the memory and legacy of the Titanic and its passengers.
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