A US federal judge has halted the proposed sale of 100 artifacts recovered from the Titanic, ruling in an August 24 decision that the auction cannot go forward for now.
RMS Titanic Inc., the company with exclusive salvage rights to the wreck, had hoped to sell items including a bronze cherub statue from the ship’s grand staircase and a bell from its crow’s nest. In court papers, the company said it was facing financial difficulties. However, the US and French governments, along with preservation groups, opposed the plan.
Judge Rebecca Beach Smith of the US District Court in Norfolk, Virginia, said she has jurisdiction over the artifacts and will continue weighing whether any sale should be allowed. R.M.S. Titanic Inc. has recovered about 5,500 artifacts from the wreck site over several expeditions.
The legal dispute centers on whether the collection must remain together, with critics arguing that selling the objects would break up part of the ship’s history. The Titanic sank on its maiden voyage after hitting an iceberg on April 14, 1912, killing around 1,500 passengers and crew members. More than a century later, the ship continues to fascinate the world.
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