Global Courant
Paul-Henri Nargeolet, director of a deep-sea research project dedicated to the Titanic, poses next to a miniature version of the sunken ship in a new exhibit, at “Paris Expo,” on May 31, 2013 in Paris.Joel SAGET / AFP
RMS Titanic Inc. was awarded retrieval and display rights to the Titanic shipwreck.
The private company has recovered more than 5,000 artifacts using Paul Henri Nargeolet.
Nargeolet was on the Titan when it imploded; the artifacts were nearly sold at auction in 2018.
The French billionaire diver who eventually died in the Titan submarine spent two decades working with a controversial sole proprietorship company to retrieve and display items from the Titanic’s wreckage.
Paul Henri Nargeoletone of the most prolific Titanic divers in history, led five expeditions for the private salvage company RMS Titanic Inc. to collect over 5,000 artifacts from the ship. The artifacts include items as small as shaving equipment and pipes and as large as shipboard chandeliers.
His legacy and the company he worked for for many years highlight the debate surrounding grave tourism and shipwreck recovery.
RMS Titanic Inc., a subsidiary of Premier Exhibitions, first claimed title to the salvage company Titanic in 1986 and was granted such rights by court order. At the time, some considered RMS Titanic Inc. and Nargeolet as high-tech grave robbersInsiders Katherine Long reported.
The company says so mission is to “explore the wreckage of the Titanic and surrounding ocean regions; obtain oceanographic material and scientific data; and use the data and recovered artifacts for historical verification, science education, and public awareness.”
The company also frequently partners with multinational regulatory agencies and non-profit organizations dedicated to the historic preservation of the Titanic. It currently runs “Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition” in Orlando, Florida, where much of the historical memorabilia recovered from the ship is displayed.
RMS Titanic Inc. however, disagreement has ensued, mostly over whether a private company should own the rights to historical artifacts that are in the public interest.
In 2016, Premier Exhibitions and RMS Titanic Inc. filed for bankruptcy and were able to do so offer the collection for auction. At the time, the man who discovered the Wreck of the Titanic, Robert Ballardand “Titanic” director James Cameron supported a museum-led movement getting the collection out of the hands of private owners and collectors, but it ultimately failed. The auction never happened eitherand RMS Titanic Inc. still owns the collection to this day.
Story continues
Most recently, the company sparked controversy following a 2020 request for rescue a Marconi wireless telegraph machine, which sent out distress calls while the ship was sinking, to add to an exhibit – possibly at the expense of the roof’s underwater remains. A judge approved the requestbut the company paused the project due to financial reasons.
In a 2012 interview with Forbes, Nargeolet was asked about the ethics of taking the site. He said he believed that while detractors had valid concerns, the collections would help “educate and preserve” the ship’s history.
“I remember talking to one of them, a woman, who said to me, ‘I don’t like what you’re doing because my father died on the ship,'” Nargeolet said at the time. But I’ve met other survivors who like what we do. They believe it helps keep the ship and its legacy alive… good for education and conservation. That’s the goal.”
RMS Titanic Inc did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.
Read the original article Insider
