Federal court halts sale of Titanic artifacts for now

A federal judge in Virginia temporarily blocked R.M.S. Titanic Inc. from auctioning off 361 artifacts from its collection of more than 5,500, ruling the company's plan likely violates the conditions attached to its salvor-in-possession status. The company, which has held exclusive Titanic salvage rights since 1994, said it needed the sale proceeds to fund continued preservation work.

Judge Rebecca Beach Smith sided with a Justice Department brief arguing the company waived any jurisdictional objection over the so-called French Collection by treating it as bound by the same court-supervised terms for two decades. She also ordered the company to produce a full inventory detailing the condition of its holdings.

Preservation advocates, including a Smithsonian curator emeritus, welcomed the ruling and raised concerns that artifacts not flashy enough for traveling exhibits may have been neglected — sitting in water or drying out uncatalogued. The company maintains it has been a responsible steward for nearly 40 years.

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