Relatives of Titanic disaster victims back Telegraph mining plan

The controversial expedition to the wreck of the legendary liner RMS Titanic has gained an important ally. Families and relatives of the victims of the 1912 tragedy, supported the idea of excavating the Marconi wireless telegraph, recognising that the device, which is the “voice” of the individual and undoubtedly a historical legacy, must be saved from destruction and be absolutely preserved.

Next summer representatives of the RMS Titanic Inc. plan to carry out an expedition to the world’s most famous wreck in order to recover and retrieve the Marconi wireless telegraph used to send distress signals after the collision with the iceberg, among other things. Not everyone liked the idea, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – NOAA – expressed its opposition to the whole idea.

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In justifying its unfavourable stance, NOAA stressed that the wreck is the resting place of the 1,500 victims who died in the Titanic disaster and, because of this fact, no exploration of its interior should take place. This reasoning, however, did not convince the US court in Virginia, which granted permission for the expedition.

Representatives of RMS Titanic Inc. submitted a 60-page report outlining a plan to go down to the wreck and recover the telegraph.

“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.”

If the mission comes to fruition, it will be the first time any items have been retrieved from inside the legendary liner.

^{Source: The Telegraph
Photo: NOAA/Institute for Exploration/University of Rhode Island}