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Frequently Asked Questions about RMS Titanic, Inc.
and the Titanic.
How did RMS Titanic, Inc. (RMST), gain salvor-in-possession rights to the Titanic? How can a U.S. court claim jurisdiction over a wreck site in international waters? Why is it important to recover and conserve artifacts from the Titanic’s wreck site? Have Titanic survivors supported RMST’s research and recovery work? How many expeditions has RMST conducted? Has RMST caused any damage to the wreck of the Titanic? How many artifacts has RMST recovered? What happens to the artifacts that RMST recovers? What museums and organizations support the conservation work that RMST is doing? Will RMST ever sell or give away any of the Titanic artifacts it has recovered? Where has RMST exhibited the artifacts? Why does RMST object to tourist visits to the Titanic’s wreck?
Under admiralty law, the owner of a ship retains rights to its wreck, unless the owner abandons it or an unusually long period of time has passed since the vessel sank. In those situations (as was the case with the Titanic) an admiralty court can name another party "salvor in possession" of the wreck if that party lays claim to it by recovering objects from the site. To maintain its exclusive rights to the wreck, the salvor-in-possession must continue to actively work the wreck site. RMST is the only entity that has recovered and conserved items from the Titanic. Therefore, pursuant to a judgment entered in the Federal District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia on June 7, 1994, RMST was declared salvor-in-possession of the wreck and wreck site of the RMS Titanic, sole and exclusive owner of any items recovered from the wreck and, so long as the Company is salvor-in-possession, sole and exclusive owner of items recovered from the Titanic in the future. The court’s judgment includes, without limitation, the contents, cargo, hull, machinery, engine, tackle, apparel and appurtenances of the Titanic. This court order was reconfirmed in 1996. No other entity has the right to salvage or photograph the Titanic
while RMST is salvor-in-possession. In order to maintain that status,
RMST must maintain a reasonable presence at the wreck by conducting
periodic expeditions, and it must continue its salvage and preservation
efforts in the periods between expeditions. Under customary international law, as reflected in Article 77 of the
1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, coastal states
are permitted to exercise sovereign rights over the continental shelf
for the purpose of exploring and exploiting its living and non-living
resources.
The bottom of the deep ocean is a hostile environment. Over time, man-made objects will be consumed by bacteria, abraded by sediments and corroded by salt and acids. Even the ship itself is slowly being destroyed by iron-eating microorganisms and will one day collapse on the ocean floor. Artifacts that are not recovered from the wreck site will eventually be lost. RMST is committed to recovering, conserving and exhibiting artifacts from the Titanic’s wreck site to help preserve the physical memory of the ship and the people who perished in the disaster. Through these activities, people all over the world have the opportunity to see and touch three-dimensional objects that bore witness to the sinking and gain new insights into the human dimensions of the tragedy. In 1985, Robert Ballard, co-discoverer of the Titanic’s wreck, made clear to Congress his support of artifact recovery. In his congressional testimony, Ballard stated:
As Ballard stated, it is vitally important to perform the recovery work in a manner that prevents "crude and damaging" salvage of the ship and safely preserves the physical integrity of the artifacts. In the past, other wrecks have been damaged or disfigured by careless salvors. A propeller of the wrecked Empress of Ireland, for example, was sold for scrap, and one of the Lusitania’s propellers was exploded from the hull and melted down to make commemorative golf clubs. Over the years, there have also been irresponsible proposals to salvage
the Titanic—even by those who criticize RMST’s recovery
work. For example, Ed Kamuda, president of the purportedly "anti-salvage"
Titanic Historical Society, has proposed "obtaining one of her
plates for the purposes of melting the plate down and stamping out commemorative
coins." Survivors including Louise Kirk Pope, Bertram Dean, Milvina Dean, Edith
Haisman and Beatrice Sandstrom have all publicly supported the recovery,
conservation and exhibition of Titanic artifacts. Along with
Mrs. Haisman, survivors Eleanor Schuman and Michel Navratil joined RMST
during the 1996 Titanic Expedition. Edith Haisman and Eleanor Schuman
have since passed away. RMST has conducted five research and recovery expeditions to the Titanic’s
wreck, in 1987, 1993, 1994, 1996 and 1998. At no time has RMST caused any damage to the Titanic. Although
allegations have been made that RMST damaged the crow’s nest while
recovering an artifact, this is absolutely untrue. On every expedition,
RMST has partnered with IFREMER, the French National Oceanographic agency
that is on the leading edge of deep-ocean technology and archaeology.
As co-discoverer of the Titanic's wreck with the U.S. Navy in
1985, IFREMER defined the search coordinates for that successful discovery
effort and has invariably demonstrated the highest standards of professionalism
and care for the Titanic's wreck. Critics’ accusations to
the contrary are self-serving fabrications. To date, RMST has recovered approximately 5,000 objects from the Titanic’s
wreck site, ranging from delicate porcelain dishes to a 20-ton section
of the ship’s outer hull. From the beginning, RMST has pledged to recover and conserve the artifacts to the highest technical, archaeological and museum standards and to maintain them in a permanent collection that will be displayed to the public around the world. All recovered artifacts are treated immediately after they are exposed to air. After gentle rinsing with fresh water, they are inventoried, measured, photographed and then carefully wrapped before being placed in foam-lined tubs of fresh water on the recovery ship. They are then secured in storage before transfer to the on-shore conservation laboratory. The research laboratory at Electricité de France (EDF) was chosen to restore objects from the first RMST expedition. Because of the vast number of artifacts recovered since 1987, all other objects have been treated at LP3 Conservation, an independent laboratory once affiliated with EDF. Located in Burgundy, France, LP3 performs most of its work for museums, governments and private collections. Conservators at LP3 generally take a minimalist approach to restoration—removing corrosion and restoring the items to their appearance upon discovery—in the belief that the objects convey more meaning and reality if they display the effects of the traumas they have suffered. As soon as the artifacts are received by the lab, they are washed repeatedly in deionized water to leach out contaminating surface salts. Artifacts are then treated to remove salts and other potentially damaging impurities that have accumulated deep inside the material. All recovered artifacts are carefully monitored in an environment of controlled temperature and humidity and kept away from sunlight. Historians and naval architects are consulted to help identify the objects, which become part of the Titanic’s continuing historical record. Great Britain’s National Maritime Museum, the world’s foremost
maritime museum, has audited the recovery of Titanic artifacts
undertaken by RMST and IFREMER. The museum investigators concluded that
"site mapping and recovery operations were undertaken with scrupulous
regard to archaeological good practice; indeed the care and professionalism,
backed up by remarkable technology, with which they were conducted sets
new standards in the field of nautical archaeology." In order to safeguard the Titanic and ensure that her artifacts are conserved and exhibited to the highest archaeological standards, RMST has joined with Great Britain’s National Maritime Museum to create the Titanic International Advisory Committee, whose members include representatives from Titanic historical societies as well as European and American maritime museums. The charter members of the International Advisory Committee include: The National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, England None of the objects that RMST recovers from the Titanic will
ever be offered for private sale. All artifacts—defined as objects
that were a part of the Titanic or possessed by a person on board—will
be maintained together as a collection and remain available to the public.
Coal does not fall under this definition, and is therefore the only
object recovered from the wreck available for sale to the public. RMST has held major exhibitions of Titanic artifacts at the
National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, England; in Tokyo and Yokohama,
Japan; Hamburg, Germany; Zurich, Switzerland; Memphis, Tennessee; Long
Beach, California; St. Petersburg, Florida; Boston, Massachusetts; St.
Paul, Minnesota; and Atlantic City, New Jersey.
The first and most important reason is that diving to the Titanic’s wreck is an inherently dangerous activity. Without the proper supervision, a second tragedy could too easily occur. Secondly, because of the remote and dangerous location of the Titanic,
approximately two and a half miles below the surface of the ocean in
the middle of the North Atlantic, it is virtually impossible to control
the activities of unauthorized expeditions. Even if the stated purpose
of a tourist expedition is to photograph the wreck for noncommercial
purposes, expedition members may clandestinely attempt to recover artifacts.
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At
the very least, they may disturb the wreck and damage its architectural
integrity—harming RMST’s future ability to work the wreck
and recover artifacts. In 1995, for example, an unauthorized Russian
submersible damaged the Marconi skylight and pulled apart the steel
bulkhead wall of Captain Smith’s cabin. Moreover, broken pieces
of the Russian submersible were found on and around the wreck. To prevent
such dangerous and damaging occurrences, RMST is taking all necessary
and appropriate steps to enforce the 1998 U.S. Federal Court order enjoining
tourists from visiting the Titanic’s wreck site without
the custodial control of RMS Titanic, Inc.