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Fri, 6 Sep 1996 10:41:27 PST |
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You said 'Does anybody feel a little concerned about the looting of the
Titanic? Surely the implications are that anyone can just go to a historic
shipwreck and loot...'
Well said Iain.
When Robert Ballard (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute) returned to the States
after finding the 'Titanic' in September 1985 he, along with some survivors of
the 'Titanic', concerned over the possible looting of the site by less ethical
organisations, approached the USA Government to protect the wreck and its
contents.
After a lengthy congressional hearing in 1986 the USA Govt attempted to pass a
bill called 'The Titanic Maritime Memorial Act' which recognised the sanctity
of the wreck as a maritime memorial and would prevent American citizens from
'indiscriminate' salvage. However in 1987, despite the actions of the US Govt a
private American Company called 'Titanic' Ventures (later RMS 'Titanic' Ltd)
and a French Govt Agency IFREMER conducted a joint salvage operation on the
site and recovered 1900 artefacts.
I believe the salvage company as Salvors in Possession and using Admiralty Law
challenged the 'Memorial Act' in the US courts, won and have thus continued
their salvage work on the site.
In order to support their continuing work on the site RMS 'Titanic' Ltd have
commenced a ten year world wide tour of the recovered material and a number of
exhibition venues in the States as well as overseas including the world
famous, National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, England have displayed this
material.
Display of material like that recovered from 'Titanic' (and a lot of other
commercially exploited arcaheological sites) contravenes National and
International guidelines established by such organisations as the International
Council of Museums, Council of American Maritime Museums and the International
Council of Maritime Museums. These organisations believe that Museums being
large collectors of cultural heritage should set an example in the area of
acquisition and display of archaeological material and should actively
discourage commercial exploitation (read looting) of cultural heritage sites.
Despite being heavily critised for their exhibition of salvaged 'Titanic'
material Greenwich has continued to defend their position stating that
'all material was from the debris field and not from the hull', 'all material
had been properly excavated', 'that the material was raised to protect it' and
that the assemblage of artefacts would be kept together permanently.
The recent efforts by the salvage company (including the selling off of some of
the artefacts 'Miami Herald' 11 April 1996) illustrate just how badly out of
touch the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich, England is.
Reaction against the salvage work has continued to grow (recent press statement
by the Australian National Maritime Museum 30/08/96) BUT with supporters like
Greenwich, the salvage and looting of cultural heritage sites appears likely to
continue.
Kieran Hosty
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Kieran Hosty
Curator of Maritime Archaeology
Australian National Maritime Museum
GPO Box 5131
Sydney
New South Wales 2009
Ph: (02) 9552 7714
email: [log in to unmask]
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