A company cancels its plans to recover more Titanic artifacts. Its renowned expert died on the Titan

A file photo of the Titanic leaving Southampton, England, on April 10, 1912, on her maiden voyage. 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 US District Court on Oct 11, 2023. — AP

NORFOLK, Virginia: 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 US District Court on Oct 11.

The decision could impact a looming court battle between the company and the US government, which has been trying to stop the 2024 mission. US attorneys have said the firm’s original plans to enter the ship’s hull would violate a federal law that treats the wreck as a gravesite.