A salvage firm gains approval for its plan to cut into the leftover Titanic wreck. This plan is specifically to retrieve a telegraph machine. The machine would send off distress signals when the ship sank back in 1912. However, this plan sparked controversy with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, who have opposed this plan. They argued that the machine is likely surrounded “by the mortal remains of more than 1,500 people.” Additionally, it should be left alone.
RMS Titanic Inc., the salvage firm, proposed a 60-page plan to retrieve the machine from the wreckage. According to Fox News, “The company said an unmanned submersible would slip through a skylight or cut the heavily corroded roof to retrieve the radio. A “suction dredge” would remove loose silt, while manipulator arms could cut electrical cords.”
Titanic salvage firm argues the importance of cutting into the leftover Titanic wreck
Bretton Hunchak, President of RMS Titanic, Inc., emails a statement to Fox News. He talk about the importance of retrieving the telegraph machine. “We remain dedicated to sharing the legacy of the Ship and her passengers with the public. Without the recovery, conservation and display of these artifacts, the ability to experience first-hand additional significant historic artifacts would be limited to only an exclusive group, those who have the privilege and economic means to travel to the wreck site.”
He continues, “It is important to RMS Titanic, Inc. that the recovery of the Marconi is part of educational outreach programs in schools. We are diligently working with multiple school districts to bring both our data and expertise to students so they can be a part of history and follow along as we endeavor to make this complex recovery.”
Earlier this week, U.S. District Judge Rebecca Beach Smith agreed that retrieving the telegraph machine was culturally and historically necessary. This is especially so because, if left too long, it could decay along with the rest of the wreckage site. Smith added that recovering the machine “will contribute to the legacy left by the indelible loss of the Titanic, those who survived, and those who gave their lives in the sinking.”