It takes eight hours and $250, 000 to get to what remains of the RMS Titanic. On Sunday, five people got into the underwater craft Titan to make that journey. The craft lost contact only an hour and 45 minutes into the eight- day expedition. Later wreckage (残骸) was found matching that of the craft. Despite the danger of traveling some 12, 500 feet below the surface, this was an irresistible opportunity—very few people get to see the Titanic with their own eyes. Actually, dives to the Titanic have been around for more than 20 years.
It wasn't until 1985 that an expedition led by Robert Ballard and Jean-Louis Michel discovered the Titanic's final resting place. In July 1986, Ballard placed a memorial on the ship, asking that the site be left undisturbed in memory of the more than 1, 500 people who died there.
But that didn't happen. Instead, competition over who would be allowed to salvage (打捞) artifacts (文物) from the ship heated up. In part, it was an effort to document and conserve the artifacts — but it was also a rush for profits from artifact sales and public displays.
In 1992, a federal court ruled that TVLP was the first and exclusive salvor of the Titanic. Now known as RMS Titanic Inc. , the company has conducted eight expeditions to the Titanic, and has sold more than 5, 000 objects taken from the site, including jewelry.
While battles for visitation and salvage rights were fought in court, expeditions to the Titanic continued, giving rise to a small but pricey tourist market. Multiple companies offered public tours to explore the Titanic wreck, with prices ranging from $32, 500 to $105, 129 per person over the years. The Titanic was damaged significantly upon impact with the seabed, and slowly, iron-eating bacteria are consuming what remains. In 2019, a dive confirmed huge portions of the ship were collapsing. Today the surrounding site is littered with trash. Visitors have also littered the area with memorials. Attempts to protect the wreck are ongoing. In 2020, the United Kingdom and the United States agreed to work together to grant or deny licenses to people entering and taking artifacts from the site.
