What should be the objectives of future dives to the Titanic

[Tarn Stephanos]

I often wonder about the appearance of Titanic the day after she sank- I suspect most of the forward C deck staterooms were intact, though no doubt the further aft you went, the more catastrophic damage you would find.....

I'd like to see Archibald Gracie's C deck stateroom explored, or the remnants thereof. No doubt his bedframe is still there...I believe he was in C-51, which puts his room forward of the break....

 

[Parks Stephenson]

Tarn,

All expeditions to the site must now submit their dive plans to NOAA for approval. In the matter of artefact retrieval, only the salvor-in-possession, which was identified in a U.S. Circuit Court, has permission to recover artefacts. Even then, though, their recovery plan must involve NOAA. If someone wishes to replace RMSTI as salvor-in-possession, that process will undoubtedly unfold in a U.S. Court.

This is my understanding, but then again, I am no lawyer. There could be some aspect to the law or other standing legal agreements that I am missing or do not fully understand.

Forward C Deck looked undamaged until you reached the Straus suite. Brass beds and washstands stood in their original positions...I didn't realise how closely people actually slept to one another until the walls were taken away. Aft of that, the decks close in on each other and it looked fairly impassible, judging by a quick look (attention was more on the Straus suite itself at that point).

I can only tell you what the decks look like today...I am no authority on what passenger slept where or what stateroom had what decor. I need a Don Lynch or someone of that ilk to help with that kind of information. The staterooms were interesting, but during the ROV's exploration of C Deck, I was more intriged with the Purser/Enquiry Office, elevators and telephone switchboard. Despite the amazing survival of the gilded woodwork in the Starus suite, I was mostly interested in the time indicated on the mantel clock (2:04, in my estimation) and the open/unlatched porthole in the bedroom.

Parks

 

[Tarn Stephanos]

Thanks for the detailed information Parks....

Regarding the Strauss suite- it is amazing the hands of the clock survived- 2:04 AM certainly coincides with the time that part of C deck flooded...

The NOAA involvement with Titanic is positive, in that it would keep a watchful eye on what unfolds...
It makes me wonder if they will prefer scientific dives and analysis of the site, and turn a scornful eye to public dives to the wreck-
Time will tell......

I do wonder how NOAA would look at the recovery of key items from the marconi room- would they support such an endeavor, or prefer the main body of the wreck remain untouched?

With the most learned Titanic scholars in the private sector, I wonder if NOAA hires thier Titanic researchers as outside civilian contractors, or if they keep such within their officer corps...7 years ago in Norfolk I met a gentleman from NOAA, who was involved with NOAA's involvement with Titanic- i beleive his name is commander Craig McClean (he may have been promoted since then)-very nice chap...

 

[Paul Lee]

What other areas inside the wreck are collapsed? During Tony Robinson's Titanic Adventure, the squash court was noted to be "squashed". Also, in Ghosts of the Abyss, just before the D deck reception room panneling was discovered, one of the bots seems to approach a caved in area of ceiling, but I can't make out where this would be on deck plans.

 

[Tarn Stephanos]

I suspect the squash court is intact- if I'm not mistaken, it had metal walls on all sides (underneath the surface material and paint), so the general shape of that room should remain....

Many a first class passenger (such as Mr Henry Blank) knew at once Titanic was in trouble, when they saw that the squash court filling with sea water....

A common question posed at the Titanic exhibits by some of the visitors was "What kind of squash did they grow in the squash court"?

 

[Jason D. Tiller]

quote:

"What kind of squash did they grow in the squash court"?

LOL! The kind that is round, which you can hit at with a racquet and it will bounce back right at you.

 

[Tarn Stephanos]

On the stern section, the starboard side Verandah cafe is crushed flat- but just perhaps,it's port side doppleganger could be given a once over- I suspect tiles are fragments from the smoking room were propelled back there like shrapnel....





I was amazed by the smoking room floor tiles spotted by the base of lifeboat station # 16....

 

[Tarn Stephanos]

Among the recovered artifacts that were once inside the 1st class Smoking Room are a crumpled ceiling light fixture

and the arched top of a raised window....

I suspect if we look into the portside Verandah cafe, similar Smoking Room artifacts may be spotted...

 

[Tarn Stephanos]

As I worked at the exhibits, i was given the okay to snap and use these pics..many moons ago..

 

[David Concannon]

Parks,

I don't believe NOAA has authority yet, although it's stewardship is certainly envisioned by the multilateral agreement between the U.K., Canada, France and the U.S. However, the last time I checked, only the U.K. had adopted the agreement. The Russians are not parties to the international agreement, although they have informally agreed to adhere to the requirements of the international agreement, and they have done so now on every expedition that I have advised.

David Concannon

 

[Parks Stephenson]

David,

You're right, the formal arrangement has not yet been established, but from what I understand, NOAA requested, and was provided, every dive plan in 2005 for review. I took that to mean that no one wants to be the first to appear to be operating outside the spirit of the agreement.

Parks

 

[David Concannon]

Parks,

Actually, I personally reviewed everything with Craig McLean in June 2005, after we discussed it briefly in late April 2005 (when he was the best man at my wedding). Then, at my suggestion, Bob Blumberg from the U.S. State Dept. was invited on the History Channel expedition. Bob negotiated both the Titanic Agreement and the UNESCO Convention on the Preservation of Underwater Cultural Heritage for the U.S. Bob brought along another State Dept. rep, and he made the last dive of the expedition with Kirk.

The State Dept.'s presence on the expedition was important because the people who are charged with negotiating and implementing these treaties should have an understanding of the effect the treaty has on the people who are actually exploring in hostile environments. It also helped dispel the notion that all wreck divers are grave robbers, which clearly is not the case.

Also, prior to its 2000 expedition, RMST sent me to Paris to observe the final negotiations for the UNESCO Convention, and to Washington, D.C. to provide public comments on the proposed Titanic Agreement at a hearing sponsored by NOAA. We tried to follow the guidelines attached to the UNESCO Convention and the draft Titanic Agreement (they are identical) on the 2000 RMST expedition.

Additionally, Jim Cameron and DOE have followed the Agreement's guidelines since 2001, and John Broadwater, NOAA's chief marine archaeologist, even participated in the "Ghosts" expedition in 2001. Anatoly Sagalevitch has been well aware of the guidelines for many years. Of course, the guidelines were followed during the 2003 NOAA expedition on the Keldysh, which I was also part of. This expedition provided a good opportunity for NOAA to learn exactly what is and is not possible when you are operating 12,500 feet below the sea, and it also revealed evidence of the "Pirate Expedition" in late 2001 that spurred the British Government to be the first to formally adopt the Titanic Agreement.

But you're right. Nobody wants to operate outside the spirit of the Titanic guidelines, even though they are not mandatory.