September is nearly over and October is just itching to get started. Already signs of autumn are everywhere. Pumpkins are now available, both large and small (and in-between) at most grocery stores. The pumpkin spice flavoring, which began in late August and early September, now comes into full bloom. And all kinds of spooky items start showing up in stores from costumes to outdoor decorations. Haunted houses and hayrides are now back in style as well. And of course online streaming is screaming about the Halloween movies ready for you to watch. Then of course all the candies. The downside is that they are more expensive and some are not quite the same anymore (looking at you Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups).  And now for the Titanic news….

Judge Rules in Salvage Case

U.S. District Judge Rebecca Beach Smith has ruled that RMS Titanic Inc, which sought to sell a certain part of the recovered artifacts, specifically the items in the French Collection, cannot be sold. RMS Titanic had sought to sell them arguing they were not under the jurisdiction of the U.S. federal court but a French one. The judge ruled that the salvage award covered this collection and it must be kept as part of the whole artifact collection retrieved from the wreck. Many groups opposed the sale from Titanic groups, museums, and even governments that are party to the current treaty in place to protect the wreck.

Judge Smith has also ordered a complete inventory of the collection for the court to review. In a previous decision, it was ruled that any sale would be for the total collection and not piecemeal, and that the buyer would have to commit to specific conservation requirements. An attempted sale some years ago resulted in no successful bids. Most experts valued the collection in very high figures making it out of the reach for most museums to purchase.

Boleman, Jason. “Norfolk Judge Blocks Titanic Relics Auction.” Virigina Lawyers Weekly. Last modified September 15, 2026. https://valawyersweekly.com/2026/09/15/norfolk-judge-enjoins-auction-titanic-relics-eastern-district/.

In Other News

The RMS Carpathia was also a passenger ship. But unlike the glittering Titanic, that brand-new floating 5-star hotel and pride of the prestigious White Star Line, Cunard’s Carpathia did yeoman’s service in the transatlantic trade. While Titanic catered to millionaire travelers, Carpathia was its blue-collar cousin. For nine years it had shuttled mostly poor immigrants between the Old and New Worlds. It wasn’t glamorous, but it was profitable and helped keep Cunard afloat during several lean years.

“The Ship That Tried to Save the Titanic | Holy Cow! History.” Santa Maria Times. Last modified September 19, 2026. https://santamariatimes.com/opinion/the-ship-that-tried-to-save-the-titanic-holy-cow-history/article_07839356-c1b4-4811-825c-9c950c07886a.html.

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Just in time for Halloween 

“When I was looking at the Titanic archives, I noticed that there were a number of interesting tales of omens. There was a mum who had dreamed that her son shouldn’t go on Titanic and he didn’t, for example. That was what first inspired me and I discovered lots of omens and coincidences and things. I think there are bound to be when dealing with a tragedy like that when lots of people have died in one place in such unusual circumstances. “

Reddin, Lorelei. “New Book Tells Some of the Ghost Stories of RMS Titanic.” Daily Echo, September 17, 2026. https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/26547574.new-book-tells-ghost-stories-rms-titanic/.

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Completing this unique architectural ensemble, the mausoleum belonging to one of the few Spanish survivors of the Titanic tragedy stands opposite the pyramid. The heritage value of this funerary structure takes on a new dimension once you learn about its creator: the architect Eduardo de Adaro. Not only did he design the final resting place for the shipwreck survivor, but he was also responsible for designing and constructing one of the capital’s most important institutional buildings, the iconic Bank of Spain building.

Mos, Lucia. “The Tomb of a Spanish Woman Who Survived the Titanic Is Hidden in the San Isidro Cemetery: It Was Designed by the Architect of the Bank of Spain and Stands Opposite a Pyramidal Tomb.” Madrid Secreto. Last modified September 16, 2026. https://madridsecreto.co/en/the-grave-of-a-spanish-woman-who-survived-the-titanic-lies-hidden-in-the-cemetery/.

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Two lots light fittings salvaged from RMS Olympic are to be offered at Anderson & Garland’s Country House and Fine Interiors auction on Thursday October, 1, held at Anderson House in Newcastle. Lot 447, estimated at £5,000 to £8,000, is a fine brass three branch ceiling light fitting of scrolling form with cut glass acorn shades, each measuring 46cm wide overall. It is believed to have been removed from the ship’s First Class Smoking Lounge.

Fitzhugh, Hannah. “Titanic Sister Ship Fittings Removed From Northumberland Home to Be Auctioned.” Northumberland Gazette. Last modified September 15, 2026. https://www.northumberlandgazette.co.uk/heritage-and-retro/heritage/titanic-sister-ship-fittings-removed-from-northumberland-home-to-be-auctioned-9056651.

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.