US government to oppose plan to sell Titanic artifacts
FILE-The White Star Line passenger liner R.M.S. Titanic embarking on its maiden voyage. (Getty Images)
The federal government is pushing back on a plan to auction over 100 artifacts saved from the wreckage of the Titanic, including personal belongings and kitchen items.
In 1912, the Titanic sank after hitting an iceberg on its voyage from Europe to New York, killing over 1,500 people.
RMS Titanic Inc., the organization that owns exclusive salvage rights to the Titanic wreck, wanted to sell the artifacts for the time despite agreements to only show off the items at museums and exhibitions.
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According to The Associated Press, the company proposed auctioning the artifacts and displaying them on a global tour in four cities.
The AP obtained court documents that mentioned RMS Titanic’s plan to sell artifacts including a necklace of gold nuggets and a heart-shaped pendant.
Meanwhile, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which represents supervision of the Titanic wreckage site, argued that such a sale would violate RMS Titanic's legal obligations to the site.
Dispute over Titanic wreckage artifacts
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The Associated Press reports that RMS Titanic wants to auction some of the first artifacts salvaged from the Titanic wreck.
Those artifacts were transported to France, and the rest of the items were retrieved during other expeditions, and the salvage claim was made in the U.S. District Court in Norfolk, Virginia.
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The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration argued that about 5,000 artifacts — whether they were claimed in France or the U.S. — must remain in one collection based on conditions imposed by the U.S. court.
Additionally, NOAA officials explained on its website that a French court’s provisions required that the artifacts not be sold individually and be kept together as a single collection.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by The Associated Press, which references court documents related to the Titanic wreckage artifacts. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.