New Titanic Expedition Faces Opposition over Possible Human Remains

People have been diving down to the Titanic¹'s wreckage² for around 35 years. But so far, no one has found human remains⁴, the company that owns rights to the wreckage says.

Now the company, RMS Titanic Inc., is planning for a new expedition that is raising concerns. It wants to send a team to collect the ship's famous radio equipment and prepare it to be shown in public. But some are questioning the plan, saying the world's most famous shipwreck⁵ could still hold remains of passengers and crew.

The disagreement is part of a larger debate over how the Titanic's victims should be remembered, honored and respected.

Background

The Titanic was traveling from England to New York in 1912 when it hit an iceberg⁶. It sank in the North Atlantic. Over 1,500 people died in the disaster. The wreck³ was discovered in 1985.

RMS Titanic Inc. owns the salvage⁷ rights, or rights to what is left, of the Titanic. The company is the court-recognized caretaker of objects from the Titanic. It oversees⁸ thousands of items including silverware, china and gold coins.

The company wants to exhibit, or publicly show, the ship's Marconi wireless⁹ telegraph machine. The telegraph broadcast the ship's emergency calls, which helped save the lives of hundreds of people in lifeboats.

Court case

Lawyers for the U.S. government are taking part in a court battle to block the planned dive. They point to experts who say human remains could still be there. And they say the company fails to consider that possibility in its dive plan.

Paul Johnston is an expert at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. "Fifteen hundred people died in that wreck," he told The Associated Press. "You can't possibly tell me that some human remains aren't buried deep somewhere where there are no currents."

Current is a term that means a continuous movement of water or air.

An unmanned submersible, a kind of underwater vehicle, would need to enter the wreckage to bring back the telegraph machine. A special tool would be used to remove loose dirt and sand, while robotic arms would cut electrical connections.

Over the years, explorers have sent other unmanned vehicles into parts of the ship. During his 2001 expedition, film director James Cameron examined the area that holds the telegraph equipment, according to court documents filed by the company.

RMS Titanic Inc. says any existing human remains would likely have been seen after around 200 dives.

David Gallo is an oceanographer and company adviser¹⁰. "There's an unwritten rule that, should we see human remains, we turn off the cameras and decide what to do next," Gallo said. But he added that the remains of those who died likely disappeared decades ago.

In May, a federal judge in Norfolk, Virginia, approved the expedition.

But the U.S. government brought a legal case in June to stop it, claiming the plan would violate¹¹ federal law and an agreement with Britain. The agreement recognizes the wreck as a memorial site. U.S. lawyers argue the agreement restricts entry into the wreck. The restriction¹² aims to make sure that the hull¹³, artifacts and "any human remains" are undisturbed.

The president of RMS Titanic Inc., Bretton Hunchak, told the AP the government's position is based on emotion rather than science. "Issues like this are used simply to raise public support," Hunchak said.

"This company has always treated the wreck ... with reverence¹⁴ and respect," Hunchak added. "And that doesn't change whether in fact human remains could possibly exist."

Archaeologists who filed court statements supporting the government's case said they believe there must be human remains. They have questioned those refusing to accept that possibility.

The Smithsonian's Johnston wrote to the court that remains could still be found in some areas lacking oxygen. But he said the company does not want "anyone to be thinking about human remains. They want people to think, ‘Oh cool. I have new artifacts to show the public.'"

Words in This Story

iceberg – n. a very large piece of ice floating in the ocean

expedition – n. a journey especially by a group of people for a specific purpose (such as to explore a distant place or to do research)

hull – n. the main part of a ship or boat : the deck, sides, and bottom of a ship or boat

undisturbed – adj. not interrupted or changed in any way

reverence – n. honor or respect that is felt for or shown to (someone or something)

archaeologist – n. : an expert in a science that deals with past human life and activities by studying the bones, tools, etc., of ancient people

artifact – n. an object (such as a tool or weapon) that was made by people in the past

1 titanic   

adj.巨人的，庞大的，强大的

参考例句：

• We have been making titanic effort to achieve our purpose.我们一直在作极大的努力，以达到我们的目的。
• The island was created by titanic powers and they are still at work today.台湾岛是由一个至今仍然在运作的巨大力量塑造出来的。

2 wreckage   

n.（失事飞机等的）残骸，破坏，毁坏

参考例句：

• They hauled him clear of the wreckage.他们把他从形骸中拖出来。
• New states were born out of the wreckage of old colonial empires.新生国家从老殖民帝国的废墟中诞生。

3 wreck   

n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难

参考例句：

• Weather may have been a factor in the wreck.天气可能是造成这次失事的原因之一。
• No one can wreck the friendship between us.没有人能够破坏我们之间的友谊。

4 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

5 shipwreck   

n.船舶失事，海难

参考例句：

• He walked away from the shipwreck.他船难中平安地脱险了。
• The shipwreck was a harrowing experience.那次船难是一个惨痛的经历。

6 iceberg   

n.冰山，流冰，冷冰冰的人

参考例句：

• The ship hit an iceberg and went under.船撞上一座冰山而沉没了。
• The glacier calved a large iceberg.冰河崩解而形成一个大冰山。

7 salvage   

v.救助，营救，援救；n.救助，营救

参考例句：

• All attempts to salvage the wrecked ship failed.抢救失事船只的一切努力都失败了。
• The salvage was piled upon the pier.抢救出的财产被堆放在码头上。

8 oversees   

v.监督，监视( oversee的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• She oversees both the research and the manufacturing departments. 她既监督研究部门又监督生产部门。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Department of Education oversees the federal programs dealing with education. 教育部监管处理教育的联邦程序。 来自互联网

9 wireless   

adj.无线的；n.无线电

参考例句：

• There are a lot of wireless links in a radio.收音机里有许多无线电线路。
• Wireless messages tell us that the ship was sinking.无线电报告知我们那艘船正在下沉。

10 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

11 violate   

vt.违反，违背，亵渎，侵犯，妨碍

参考例句：

• Those who violate traffic regulations should be punished.那些违反交通规定的人应该受处罚。
• Can they be allowed to violate rules and regulations at will?难道能容许他们随心所欲地破坏规章制度吗？

12 restriction   

n.限制，约束

参考例句：

• The park is open to the public without restriction.这个公园对公众开放，没有任何限制。
• The 30 mph speed restriction applies in all built-up areas.每小时限速30英里适用于所有建筑物聚集区。

13 hull   

n.船身；(果、实等的)外壳；vt.去(谷物等)壳

参考例句：

• The outer surface of ship's hull is very hard.船体的外表面非常坚硬。
• The boat's hull has been staved in by the tremendous seas.小船壳让巨浪打穿了。

14 reverence   

n.敬畏，尊敬，尊严；Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称；v.尊敬，敬畏，崇敬

参考例句：

• He was a bishop who was held in reverence by all.他是一位被大家都尊敬的主教。
• We reverence tradition but will not be fettered by it.我们尊重传统，但不被传统所束缚。