<p>A salvage company that holds exclusive rights to the Titanic wreck is proposing to auction about 100 artifacts recovered during the first recovery effort nearly 40 years ago. The plan would involve pieces from the 1987 expedition, including items such as a bronze cherub statue, a bell from the crow’s nest, a pendant necklace, a safe, a pocket watch, and a uniform button.</p>
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<p>The proposal has reignited debate over the fate of thousands of artifacts removed from the shipwreck since its discovery in 1985. Previous attempts to sell artifacts faced objections from the United States and France, as well as UNESCO and other cultural groups, amid concerns about preserving the collection intact.</p>
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<p>The latest plan was outlined in a March filing to a federal court in Norfolk, Virginia, which oversees the salvage operation and may have to approve any auction. The filing was briefly sealed before a judge ordered it made public.</p>
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<p>Public details about which specific items would be sold have not been disclosed. The company’s website describes a “top 25 artifacts” list, including pieces from the 1987 salvage expedition. The Titanic, which sank in 1912, lies about 2.5 miles below the surface in international waters off Newfoundland.</p>
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<p>The wreck has been the subject of seven expeditions from 1987 to 2004 during which about 5,500 artifacts were recovered. The site has also seen scientific expeditions, but no new artifacts have been recovered since the early 2000s. The company has faced financial difficulties, emerging from bankruptcy in 2019 and currently facing a lawsuit from a contractor over more than $4 million.</p>
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<p>Regulatory oversight is centered in the Norfolk court, which has a history of handling maritime salvage matters. NOAA, which monitors the salvage on behalf of the U.S. government, has weighed in on the potential sale, arguing that it could disrupt the artifact collection and violate court orders requiring items to remain intact.</p>
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<p>Advocates for keeping the artifacts intact note covenants with the federal government dating from 2010 that require the collection to be kept together for public display, research, and education. The company argues that the sale would be lawful under the law of the case and consistent with its stewardship obligations, though questions about the scope and details of the sale remain unsettled.</p>
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<p>France, which played a role in the 1987 expedition and initially received some of the artifacts, has expressed ongoing interest in their fate, complicating the legal landscape. The judge has asked for a more public filing detailing the number of artifacts to be sold, descriptions, and notifications to involved parties, including the French government and the U.S. government’s position on the sale.</p>
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