Titanic rolled out of a shipyard in Belfast May 31, 1911, before setting sail on its maiden voyage to America almost a year later. The plan would be to keep the collection on displays at the Belfast-based National Maritime Museum of Ireland, the National Museums and Galleries of Northern Ireland and the National Maritime Museum in London.
“If I were the judge, I would say well, look, the logical curator of this is Great Britain,’’ said Ballard, the Rhode Island oceanographer who first pinpointed Titanic’s position in 1985 as part of a top-secret military mission. “These relics belong at home in Belfast and at Greenwich, in the hands of an organization that can ensure these artifacts will be around forever,” he said in an interview. “They can preserve the Crown Jewels of England. They can preserve the Titanic.’’
This article was provided by Bloomberg News.