Protecting Titanic

Links:

R.M.S. Titanic 2004 Expedition

R.M.S. Titanic Expedition 2003

Credits:

NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries

NOAA Office of Atmospheric Research

NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research

International Section of NOAA General Council

Institute for Exploration/Center for Ocean Exploration-University of Rhode Island.

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Transcript

NARRATOR: More than two and half miles below the surface, the wreckage of the Titanic rests on the seafloor …… both as a memorial and a living laboratory.  

One hundred years ago, the world's most advanced passenger steamship struck an iceberg. On April 15th, 1912, it sank – losing 1,496 lives.

The legend of Titanic was larger than her size, and finding the wreck site opened a door to not only exploration and scientific study, but to salvage as well.

With ties to multiple nations, steps needed to be taken to preserve and protect the integrity of the wreck site.

For the US, NOAA and the State Department negotiated an international agreement with representatives of the U.K., Canada, and France.

This agreement recognizes the wreck site as a memorial to those who died and a wreck of great archaeological, historical, and cultural importance.

The agreement set rules for research, exploration, and salvage.

The memory of the Titanic lives on in movies, books, and museums, but it’s the protection of the wreck site that will continue to yield clues about the fateful ship and its passengers.