…. the Atlanta-based R.M.S. Titanic Inc. — made plans to auction off 100 of the 5,500 artifacts it has collected. It went to court on Thursday to defend the proposed sale. In U.S. District Court in Norfolk, Va., the company argued before Judge Rebecca Beach Smith that she has no jurisdiction over the 100 disputed artifacts because they were recovered in 1987 and were awarded to the company by a French court.
Davis, Marc. “Salvage Company Hoping to Sell Titanic Artifacts Challenges Court’s Role.” New York Times, August 13, 2026. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/13/arts/design/salvage-company-hoping-to-sell-titanic-artifacts-challenges-courts-role.html.
Sometimes forgotten is the fact that the expedition in 1985 was a joint operation between Woods Hole Oceanographic and IFREMER (Institut Français de Recherche pour l’Exploitation de la Mer). As such, a small number of these were handled by a French maritime court. The argument RMS Titanic Inc is making is that those specific artifacts are thus under the control of a French court thus not covered by the U.S. court salvage award. The US and other parties disagree. Whatever the judge’s decision, it will likely be appealed. Presumably whatever judgment was made in that French court was submitted.
The company is claiming that they are in dire financial straits and need of cash infusion. And the financials do bear this out. The judge is wondering why with some wealthy backers how that can be. Wealthy backers are one thing but making a profit is another and they are not doing that now. It is quite possible, should the judge decide against the company, that they go into bankruptcy. That moves it out of one federal court into another to handle creditor claims and what to do with the assets (in this case the artifacts). The court ruled a year?s ago that it could be only sold as a collection making it nearly too expensive for most publicly funded institutions to purchase on their own leaving only the high wealth in Dubai and associated states along with China as potential buyer. Perhaps that chap in Australia who keeps saying Titanic II is coming might be interested.
In other news
Image: Daily Mail
Despite having been an attraction at the park for multiple years, this summer a number of parents became enraged at the theming of the slides, branding it ‘disrespectful’. Furious parents compared the Titanic theming to having a ‘Twin Towers ride’, despite the tragedy taking place more than 110 years ago. Initially wishing to calm the critics, farm manager Will offered to change the name of the popular ride. However, he was then encouraged by other guests to hold firm and chose not to change it at the behest of a small handful of people. He pointed out that there are no living survivors of the tragedy and very few children of survivors and referred to the Titanic immersive exhibition, which opened in London last year.
Lawrence, Tom. “Manager Behind Titanic-themed Ride at Family Farm Defies Criticism From ‘wokes’ Who Branded It ‘disrespectful.’” Mail Online, August 17, 2026. https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16057701/Outrage-disrespectful-Titanic-themed-ride.html.
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A display honoring the life of Oscar Scott Woody opened Thursday at “Titanic: The Exhibition.” Woody, a Person County native, was one of five postal clerks aboard the ship. They were transporting 7 million pieces of mail from Europe to the U.S. “They perished because they had a duty to preserve the mail,” said Carrie Currie, the executive director of the Person County Museum of History. “They were trying so desperately to get the mail up to the upper deck so it could be loaded onto lifeboats.” The Person County Museum of History temporarily donated several pieces to the exhibit, including Woody’s orders to travel on the Titanic as well as replicas of items he had with him when his body was found.
Salsameda, Chloe. “N.C. postal worker killed on Titanic honored at exhibit.” Spectrum News 1, August 14, 2026. https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nc/charlotte/news/2026/08/14/postal-worker-titanic-exhibit.’
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Source:Wikipedia
Laroche ultimately decided to return to his native Haiti with his family. His connection to the country was especially significant: his uncle was Cincinnatus Leconte, who served as president of Haiti, according to Kellie Carter Jackson, a Knafel Assistant Professor of the Humanities in the Department of Africana Studies at Wellesley College. Laroche and his wife were expecting their third child, making the prospect of secure employment especially important. According to Jackson, his uncle had promised to secure him a position as “a mathematician and pay him 200 a month, which was more than a modest salary at the time” once he returned home to Haiti, Jackson noted.
Dawson, Shannon. “Joseph Philippe Lemercier Laroche: The Story of the Only Black Passenger Aboard the Titanic.” NewsOne. Last modified August 11, 2026. Accessed August 17, 2026. https://newsone.com/6868898/joseph-philippe-lemercier-laroche-black-passenger-titanic/.
Suggested Titanic Reading
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Archbold, Rick, and Dana McCauley. Last Dinner on the Titanic Menus and Recipes From the Great Liner. Hachette Books, 1997.
Behe, George TITANIC: SAFETY, SPEED AND SACRIFICE, Transportation Trails, Polo, IL 1997
Behe, G. (2012). On board RMS Titanic: Memories of the Maiden Voyage. The History Press.
Behe, George. Voices From the Carpathia: Rescuing RMS Titanic, 2015.
Behe, George. The Triumvirate: Captain Edward J. Smith, Bruce Ismay, Thomas Andrews and the Sinking of Titanic.History Press, 2024.
Behe, George. Fate Deals a Hand: The Slippery Fortunes of Titanic’s Professional Gamblers. History Press, 2023.
Ballard, Robert D. Exploring the Titanic. Reprint. Madison Press Books, 2014.
Ballard, Robert D., and Rick Archbold. The Discovery of the Titanic. New York, N.Y.?: Warner Books, 1987.
Ballard, Robert D., Lost Liners: From the Titanic to the Andrea Doria the Ocean Floor Reveals Its Greatest Lost Ships(Hyperion, 1998).
Brewster, H. (2013). Gilded Lives, Fatal Voyage: The Titanic’s First-Class Passengers and Their World. National Geographic Books.
Cameron, Stephen. Titanic: Belfast’s Own. Colourpoint, 2011.
Eaton John P. & Haas Charles, TITANIC TRIUMPH AND TRAGEDY, SECOND EDITION, W.W. Norton & Company, New York, New York, 1995 First American Edition
Fitch, Tad, J. Kent Layton, and Bill Wormstedt. On a Sea of Glass: The Life & Loss of the RMS Titanic. Reprint. Amberley Publishing, 2015.
Lord, Walter, A NIGHT TO REMEMBER, Holt Rinehart and Winston, New York, New York, 1955. Multiple revisions and reprints, notably Illustrated editions (1976,1977,1978 etc.)
Lord, Walter, THE NIGHT LIVES ON, Willian Morrow and Company, New York, New York, 1986 (First Edition)
Lynch, Don & Marshall Ken, TITANIC AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY, Madison Press Books, Toronto, Ontario Canada, 1992
Marshall, L. (2019). Sinking of the Titanic: The Greatest Disaster At Sea – Special Edition with Additional Photographs. Independently Published.
Rossignol, K. (2012). Titanic 1912: The Original News Reporting of the Sinking of the Titanic. Createspace Independent Publishing Platform.
Wade, Wyn Craig. The Titanic, End of a Dream, 1979.
Wilson, A. (2012). Shadow of the Titanic: The Extraordinary Stories of Those Who Survived. Simon and Schuster.
*Clive Palmer’s robotic dinosaur park has been approved but not without vocal opposition by local residents reports Fox News. Palmer had sought approval for erecting up to 160 animatronic dinosaurs at his Coolum Resort. The exhibit will include “five Tyrannosaurus rex robots, the largest towering at 8.5 metres (28 feet) in height.” The dinosaur robots will be able to blink their eyes and move their tales.