NORFOLK, Va. — The company that owns the salvage rights to the Titanic shipwreck has cancelled plans to retrieve more artifacts from the site because the leader of the upcoming expedition died in the Titan submersible implosion, according to documents filed in a U.S. District Court on Wednesday.The decision could impact a looming court battle between the company and the U.S. government, which has been trying to stop the 2024 mission. U.S.
The messages in Morse code were picked up by other ships and receiving stations onshore, which helped to save the lives of about 700 people who fled in life boats. There were 2,208 passengers and crew on the Titanic’s sole voyage from Southampton, England, to New York.The company said Wednesday in its court filing that its plans now only include imaging at the wreck site and surveys to refine “future artifact recovery.
Meanwhile, it’s unclear how the change in plans could impact RMST’s budding legal fight with the U.S. government. The company’s filing appears to suggest that it no longer plans to enter the ship’s hull, which the government said would break the law.A hearing was still scheduled for Friday afternoon in U.S. District Court in Norfolk, Virginia, which oversees Titanic salvage matters.