The move comes as the Titan submersible disaster of June 18 raised questions about who controls access to the ship’s remains, which lie more than two miles down on the North Atlantic seabed. Now, the federal government is taking legal action to assert control over who can recover artifacts from the storied liner and, potentially, to block an expedition planned for next year. Over the years, thousands of artifacts have been retrieved, including a top hat, perfume vials and the deck bell that was rung three times to warn the ship’s bridge of a looming iceberg.

Titanic.”Īs nations debated a draft agreement, American salvors moved in. Until then, Congress declared, “no person should physically alter, disturb, or salvage the R.M.S.

Congress called for a global accord, as the wreck lay in international waters. Titanic came to light, officials in Washington began seeking legal authority to regulate access to the famous shipwreck as part of a memorial to the more than 1,500 passengers and crew members who had lost their lives in 1912.

In late 1985, weeks after the shattered remains of the R.M.S.

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