A Virginia judge sent an approval to a salvage firm for the removal of the telegraph machine from the well-known Titanic wreck which has been used in sending distress signals more than 100 years ago when the liner sank.
According to Fox, RMS Titanic Inc., a salvage company, has aroused controversy, with the company's plan of retrieving the Marconi wireless telegraph, with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration among those who strongly opposed the mission. In court documents, NOAA argued that the telegraph should be left alone since it is likely surrounded by more than 1,500 mortal remains.
A 60-page telegraph retrieval plan, which the telegraph is believed to still sit in a deckhouse near the grand staircase of the liner, has been submitted by RMS Titanic Inc., According to the company, an unmanned submersible would slip through a skylight or the corroded roof would be cut in order to retrieve the radio. Loose silt could be removed by a suction dredge, while the electrical cord would be cut by a manipulator's arm.
On April 14, 1912, at 11:40 p.m. Titanic hit an iceberg and after two hours sank with more than 1,500 lives lost. The wreck lying on seabed at a depth of 12,467 feet, is about 350 miles south of Newfoundland.
Last year, EYOS Expeditions led an expedition to the wreck site and expressed its concerns regarding the plan of RMS Titanic earlier this year.
According to NOAA's spokesperson, they are reviewing the court's decision and leaves no comment for the time being. EYOS Expeditions also refused to comment on the court's order since they are not involved or even their expeditions in any way.
As stated by RMS Titanic Inc., the telegraph is a tangible link to Titanic's history. Bretton Hunchak, President of RMS Titanic Inc., stated that the company is dedicated to sharing with the public the ship's legacy and her passengers. He uttered that first-hand experience of significant artifacts would only be limited to exclusive groups, those who are privileged to travel to the wreck site, without the recovery, conservation, and display of these artifacts.
The company works on bringing Titanic's history and artifacts to schools all over the world. Hunchak said that Marconi's recovery is an important part of educational outreach programs in schools. He added that the company is diligently working with a number of school districts to bring both their data and expertise to students, so the students can take part of the history and follow along as they make a complex recovery.
On Monday, Rebecca Beach Smith, US District Judge, released order and acknowledged that the telegraph is important to both history and culture and could be lost within the decaying wreck site.
Smith stated that the telegraph's recovery will contribute to the legacy left by Titanic's indelible loss and those who survived and gave their lives in the sinking.
Smith officiated over the salvage matters of Titanic from a federal court in Norfolk. Her governing altered an order from 2000 of a previous judge that prohibits cutting into the shipwreck or removing any of its parts.
