US Government Ends Legal Fight Against Titanic Expedition Following Company’s Revised Dive Plans

The US government has officially ended its legal battle against an upcoming expedition to the Titanic shipwreck after the company that owns the salvage rights scaled back its dive plans. The litigation began last year after RMS Titanic Inc announced the expedition, which is now scheduled for mid-July.

Originally, the Georgia-based company planned to take images inside the ocean liner’s hull and retrieve artefacts from the debris field. However, the US government filed a legal challenge in August, citing federal law and an agreement with Great Britain to treat the wreck as a grave site.

RMST has since revised its plans, stating that it will only send an uncrewed submersible to the site and take external images. The company will not come into contact with the wreck or attempt any artefact recovery. The US government has decided to end its legal efforts against the expedition due to these revised dive plans.

However, the government has warned that future expeditions could still be illegal if they involve the retrieval of objects from inside the wreck or surrounding debris field. US District Judge Rebecca Beach Smith, who presides over Titanic salvage matters, has raised concerns about the legal implications of the government’s case against RMST.

The Titanic, which sank in 1912, is rapidly deteriorating, and time may be running out for expeditions inside the wreck. RMST has been the court-recognised steward of the Titanic’s artefacts since 1994 and has recovered and conserved thousands of items from the ship.

While the current legal battle has ended, the US government has left the door open for future legal challenges if RMST’s longer-term objectives involve disturbing the wreck or retrieving artefacts. The upcoming expedition in July will proceed as planned, with the company adhering to its revised dive plans.