Court gives permission to extract telegraph from Titanic wreck

A Virginia court has given the go-ahead for the extraction of a telegraph from the world’s most famous shipwreck. A remote-controlled robot will be sent to the wreck of the Titanic to cut out and bring to the surface a device used to send distress signals. The exact one used when the liner sank after colliding with an iceberg over 100 years ago.

Plans by RMS Titanic Inc. to recover the Marconi-branded wireless telegraph have generated considerable controversy around the world, including an official objection from a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. In a statement, NOAA argued that the mission’s target, the telegraph, is likely to be surrounded by “the remains of more than 1,500 victims” and their peace of mind should be respected and the device left alone.

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And representatives of RMS Titanic Inc. have submitted a 60-page plan to recover the telegraph, which is believed to still be in the superstructure near the legendary grand staircase. The company said an unmanned submarine would slip inside through a skylight or through the heavily corroded roof to recover the device.

Representatives of EYOS Expeditions, which undertook an expedition to the wreck last year, also voiced their concerns about the telegraph recovery mission.

In a statement sent to the media, RMS Titanic Inc. described the Marconi Telegraph as a tangible link to Titanic’s past.

“We want to share the historical legacy of the ship and its passengers with the public,” said Bretton Hunchak, president of RMS Titanic, Inc. “Without the recovery, preservation and display of these artifacts, the ability to tangibly tell the story of this great tragedy would be limited only to an exclusive group, those who have the privilege and economic means to travel to the site of the wreck.”

The company also says it is working to bring the story of the Titanic and artifacts recovered from the wreck into schools around the world.

“It is important to RMS Titanic, Inc. that restoring artifacts such as the Marconi telegraph be part of educational outreach programs in schools,” said Hunchak. “We work diligently with many school districts to provide students with both the data we acquire and the expertise.”

As you can see, all sides have arguments that cannot be denied and it is up to us to judge the actions carried out by RMS Titanic Inc. Certainly, the recovery of the telegraph will save it from the fate that soon awaits the entire wreck, namely total destruction.

^{Source: smithsonianmag.com
Photo: NOAA/Institute for Exploration/University of Rhode Island}