James Cameron launches bid to rescue Titanic artefacts
Titanic director James Cameron has launched a secret £165 million 'rescue mission' to bring the ship's treasures back to the UK.
The 62-year-old â€" whose Oscar-winning 1997 film is the second highest-grossing box-office hit of all time â€" has teamed up with Dr Robert Ballard, who discovered the wreck, along with the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich and the Royal Geographical Society, to return 5,500 artefacts to Belfast, where the Titanic was built.
Dr Ballard revealed the rescue plan at a court hearing in Virginia in the US last Wednesday.
A stunning 5,500 Titanic artefacts are stored away in a secret warehouse in America
It came after the announcement that the parent company of RMS Titanic Inc, which owns all salvage rights to the wreck, has filed for bankruptcy.
RMS Titanic is solely owned by US-based Premier Exhibitions, which last week revealed that it was putting its treasures and future salvaging rights up for sale. The company is £9 million in debt.
Since it was awarded exclusive salvage rights in 1987, RMS Titanic Inc has arranged numerous dives to recover the wreck's various treasures 12,500ft beneath the surface. The ship sank in the North Atlantic about 400 miles off the coast of Newfoundland after striking an iceberg in April 1912.
More than 1,500 of the 2,224 passengers on board died in the disaster, which occurred during the ship's maiden voyage from Southampton to New York.
They include jewellery, shoes, glasses and even bronze Cherubs
Although some artefacts have gone on public display over the years, most have been hidden from view in a secret warehouse complex in America.
Oceanographer Dr David Gallo, who led a 2010 expedition to map the wreck site, visited the artefacts last week.
'Every artefact, every letter and photo, they all tell a story,' he said. 'It is time these objects go on display for the world to see and the most fitting place for that is the UK, where the Titanic was 'born'.'
James Cameron visited the site of Titanic's wreck multiple times to film footage for the movie
Dr Robert Ballard, who found the wreckage in 1985, told last week's hearing in Norfolk, Virginia, that he had been in discussions with Cameron and UK organisations to bring the Titanic's treasures back to the UK.
He said the group plans to exhibit the artefacts at a museum on the site of the old Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast where the Titanic was built and from where she set off to Southampton.
Last night, a source close to Mr Cameron said he was 'committed' to preserving the relics. 'Jim dived to the site multiple times to film footage for the movie,' they added. 'He has an emotional connection to the ship and he has the money and power to make this happen.'
Oceanographer Dr David Gallo, who led a 2010 expedition to map the wreck site, visited the artefacts last week. Pictured is a sonar image of the Titanic wreckÂ
Dave Vermillion, spokesman for RMS Titanic Inc, said the company was '100 per cent committed' to safeguarding the artefacts and the wreck site for future generations.
'It was 30 years ago this July that we recovered the first artefacts from the seabed,' he said. 'This is a global search to find a suitable buyer. We are looking for someone to honour and celebrate the legacy of the Titanic.
'The most important thing is to find someone with the resources to preserve and honour the legacy of those who perished on the ship.'
He added: ‘There are 5,500 artifacts but we also own intellectual property rights including high definition video of the wreck, all the imagery that has been captured, and the exclusive salvor in possession rights.Â
'The discussions are early but there is a lot of interest around the world. The collection has been valued in the past at $214 million. It will go to one buyer. The artifacts will remain together as a collection.
‘The most important thing is to find someone with the resources to preserve and honour the legacy of those who perished on the ship.
‘RMS Titanic has been committed to that legacy for three decades.’Â
A source said that James Cameron 'had an emotional connection' to the wreckÂ
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