The wreck of the Titanic was found in 1985, and since 1987, at least 6000 artifacts have been recovered from the wreck, and are on a touring Titanic Artifact exhibition, held at various museums. The future of the wreck itself is uncertain- Should it be protected as an undersea gravesite, or should salvors be permitted to recover anything and everything from the wreck?
2007-02-09 19:28:07 · 8 answers · asked by OctopusGuy 1 in Arts & Humanities ➔ History
Im a bit biased, I used to work at the Titanic Exhibitions as historian, but I would like to see the wreck protected- But do favor continued look-but don't touch- exploratory expeditions. At this time a good percentage of the artifacts that have been recovered that are not on display are sitting in storage- Hardly an environment condusive to proper restoration.
2007-02-09 20:40:42 · update #1
Hi OctopusGuy (are you in the next Spiderman movie?).
Interesting question and some variable answers.
Firstly I don't believe that we have too much choice as to the fate of the wreck itself. It has always been in two pieces with the aft section pretty mangled and a long way from the better preserved forward section, so I don't think there was ever any realistic chance of raising her. You will have noticed the deterioration in the wreck since Ballard first discovered her, so she will gently moulder and rot into the sea.
Maritime law does indeed define how the wreck is dealt with and I don't think that we can really think of the wreck as a gravesite in the same way as a warship. Admittedly a lot of people did go down with the ship, but an awful lot of people actually got off and died of hypothermia in the water - their bodies were recovered - so it is not the mass gravesite that everybody thinks it is.
Of course the salvors will want to make a profit from their work and who can blame them for that. I think it is crucial that as many artefacts are recovered as possible, they all add to our understanding, and what is the point of letting it all rot at the bottom of the sea?
Finally, I am amazed that one of your writers found the exhibition to be depressing. Well, in one sense, of course it is as it deals with a tragic incident where there was a great loss of life. But to complain that it was nothing like the movie.........c'mon you're not serious are you? That's like me visiting Rome and complaining that its nothing like the film "Gladiator"......welcome to the real world.
2007-02-09 20:35:24 · answer #1 · answered by the_lipsiot 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
well in case you (as a historian) dont follow the titanic much (amazing isnt it).. the ship might not last much longer.
In the last several expeditions to the Titanic they have discovered that slowely it is falling apart.. the ocean is litteraly eating it. Soon there will be nothing left.
so maybe we shoudl remove what we can before we cant explore at all.
By the way,
if you want to see some interesting looks into the inside of the ship watch James Cameron's "Ghosts of the Abyss" he did it back in 99 or so with some of the same people who did the expedition for the 97 movie.
2007-02-10 06:34:59 · answer #2 · answered by clomtancy 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I visited the Titanic Museum in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It was depressing, and in no way shape or form a Love Story as depicted in the Movie. All I could think about, was the Exit door. I went out on the balcony on the upper level and just watched the other ships in the harbor. The site of the wreck, is very deep and cold. Some people with lots of money to burn, are taking what ever they can manage to get. I suppose I would call them grave robbers. I say this,the site should be left as a Memorial, and treated as one. May it R.I.P. All those poor souls who lost their lives, should be given respect.
2007-02-10 04:00:37 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
It is the final resting place for its victims. They should preserve it as a gravesite and leave it totally intact. Absolutely nothing more should be removed from that ship.
2007-02-10 03:37:47 · answer #4 · answered by ? 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Maritime law allows for salvage of whatever at the sinking site of any ship. It is in the hands of the salvage experts whatever is done.
2007-02-10 03:36:25 · answer #5 · answered by burning brightly 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Eventually, it is going to deteriorate and be gone. I would rather they salvage what they can now (for use in museums and such, not for private use or monetary gain).
2007-02-10 08:02:26 · answer #6 · answered by aqx99 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's already been desecrated--might as well build an underwater carnival there and charge admission to disrespect the dead.
2007-02-10 03:37:59 · answer #7 · answered by Mr_B 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think it should remain there.
2007-02-10 03:31:40 · answer #8 · answered by utlcutl 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋