Federal judge blocks auction of Titanic items

WASHINGTON

The artifacts should be preserved as a collection, officials say.

A U.S. federal judge has blocked plans to auction more than 100 artifacts recovered from the wreck of the Titanic, siding with the U.S. government and preservationists who raised concerns about the sale and the condition of the historic collection.

U.S. District Judge Rebecca Beach Smith in Norfolk, Virginia, ruled that any sale would require court approval and rejected arguments by RMS Titanic, the company holding exclusive salvage rights to the wreck, that the items were outside the court’s jurisdiction.

The proposed auction included jewelry, tableware and a bronze cherub that once decorated the ship’s grand staircase. The company had sought to sell more than 100 objects recovered during a deep-sea expedition decades ago.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration opposed the auction, while historians, archaeologists and the French government also protested, arguing that the artifacts should be preserved as a collection. The judge also raised concerns about the company’s financial difficulties and ordered it to provide the court with an inventory of the artifacts and information about their condition.