Fate of Titanic Treasures in Judge's Hands

Fate of Titanic Treasures in Judge's Hands


April 15th, 1912 is considered a historical day in history when 1,522 people were killed. Some may know what I am talking about and for those of you who do not; I am talking about the day when the ocean liner the Titanic stuck an iceberg in the North Atlantic. Now it has been nearly a century since that fateful tragedy happened and now a judge in Virginia is poised to preserve the largest collection of artifacts from the opulent ocean liner and protect the ship’s resting place. (The ship’s resting place is 2 ½ miles below the Atlantic Ocean.) U.S. District Judge Rebecca Beach Smith considers the wreck an “international treasure.” She wants to keep the salvaged items found on the wrecked ship together and accessible to the public. That way it would ensure the 5,900 pieces of china, ship fittings and personal belongings won’t end up in a collector’s hands or in a London auction house, where some of the other Titanic artifacts have ended up. The reason there has been such a dispute about the ownership of the artifacts is because the Titanic sank in international waters and the company that owned the ship is no longer around. As the article states, “Experts and government lawyers say the sanctity of the Titanic must be properly protected as a memorial to the 1,522 people who died when it went down.” I would have to agree with the experts and government lawyers. I have memorials for everything else and I think this would be a very interesting exhibit to visit.

I really enjoyed this topic, it was a flash back in history! It was also interesting to read, and I think that the judge in Virginia is right about the items that have been found from the Titanic. It would be a shame if just a few collectors got a hold of them or an auction house. I know that I would go to a museum that showed the items. I think it would be neat because each artifact would make me wonder the story behind it thinking about who owned it or how they received that item. It would also be a fun learning experience for kids also, making it easier to learn about history.

I agree with the judge that keeping the items found from the titanic would be the best thing to do. If one person had one piece and some one else had another there is a risk of them getting ruined or lost. If they were displayed together, more people could go to the museum to enjoy them and they would be kept in tact and respected for what they are. I remember when I watched the movie Titanic, my favorite parts were when they were cleaning all of the artifacts they found. It would be cool to be able to see things like that in real life, like have the artifact displayed by a picture of how they found it.

I don't think only one judge should have had the right to decide what to do with the artifacts. I think it should have been placed in the hands of multiple trusted people. But I do think that what is best for those pieces is to all be placed together in a museum that way everyone can enjoy them and not just one or two people. The Titanic is a very interesting topic to many people so when something is said about pieces being found I'm sure a lot of people would want them to be placed in a museum. We can all learn from them.