How do you guys feel about salvaging artifacts? As for me, I am against it. I think it's the equivalent of grave robbing. I know Bob Ballard is completely against it. The thing was though, becaus of his position toward it, it hurt his efforts. If he had brought up the smallest item, a broken piece of a tea cup perhaps, he could have claimed the ship to be his, and then no one could touch it. However, he didn't know this, and someone else did an expedition, brought something up, claimed the ship to be theirs, and now they salvage everything they could get their hands on.

thats terrible

they should just keep the artifacts down there

I agree. The second tragedy to befall Titanic was when Ballard did not bring up a small artifact and claim her for protection. He is a hero of mine and I also feel strongly against salvage.

These artifacts will eventually be auctioned and scattered across the globe because the company who own the artifacts are in financial difficulty. Besides, the novelty to see a travelling collection of artifacts seems to be dying and the company is losing money. This should never have happened.

I saw the artifacts on display and to be quite frank: Seeing a single shoe behind glass does not give me that same feeling of reverance as a photograph of two laced-up shoes laying at the bottom of the Atlantic. Rather give me the image of the bottle of champaign laying on the ocean floor than behind a pain of glass on display. It makes it less personal to parade these objects for income.

it really is too bad that some people are so greedy. i agree with the grave robbers comment

well, i think salvaging artifacts, It good. weatehr grave robbing or not. Just the trill to see these artifacts up close and personal...its a piece of history. And in my opinion, needs to be in museums. I know lots of ya dont agree. but thats just my little opinion

I respect your opinion, but how would you feel if you were buried with your favorite possesion (i.e. your h.s. ring) and someone dug you up and sold it? that's basically what is happening.

I have to agree with Edward9139 on this one. They should stop the grave robbing as soon as possible. It is not worth removing another four thousand artifacts just for the sake of cashing in on the tragedy

I think that it takes away from the beauty of the wreck. or the excitement of going down and seeing it if you are just down there to make money

Ballard put it well I think, he said, 'Titanic is like an old lady, very well dressed, with beautiful jewelry, every time an artifact is taken, it is like a piece of jewelry is taken'. My view is that they are taken the Titanic up piece by piece; soon it will be nothing left but the hull.

That was roughly what Ballard said, but the message was clear to me, and I agree with him, I just wish he owned the right’s to the wreck, and stopped this grave robbing, which is what it is.

actually i have heard that a company tried to get rights to raise the titanic