RMS Titanic Maritime Memorial Act

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R.M.S. Titanic Maritime Memorial Act of 1986
House Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, Senate Foreign Relations
  • Passed the Senate on September 24, 1986 (passed voice vote)
  • Passed the House on October 6, 1986 (passed voice vote)
  • Signed into law by President Ronald Reagan
    • on October 21, 1986

    The R.M.S. Titanic Maritime Memorial Act of 1986 (100 

    wreck of the RMS Titanic
    as an international maritime memorial and to regulate the research, exploration and salvage of the wreckage. The Act became law on October 21, 1986, when it was passed by the 99th United States Congress.[1]

    Background

    According to a 1985 report, the United States Congress was concerned about potential damage caused to the Titanic's wreck caused by salvagers.[2] The report found that:[3]

    1. "The R.M.S. Titanic, the ocean liner which sank on her maiden voyage after striking an iceberg on April 14, 1912, should be designated as an international maritime memorial to the men, women, and children who perished aboard her"
    2. "The recent discovery of the R.M.S. Titanic, lying more than twelve thousand feet beneath the ocean surface, demonstrates the practical applications of ocean science and engineering"
    3. "The R.M.S. Titanic, well preserved in the cold, oxygen-poor waters of the deep North Atlantic Ocean, is of major national and international cultural and historical significance, and merits appropriate international protection"
    4. "The R.M.S. Titanic represents a special opportunity for deep ocean scientific research and exploration"

    Enactment

    high seas".[5]

    On February 5, 1986, Jones championed a similar bill that was presented to the Senate, which proposed that until an international agreement could be negotiated, no individual would be permitted to physically alter, disturb, or salvage the wreckage.[2] The Senate bill was signed by President Ronald Reagan on October 21, 1986, creating the RMS Titanic Maritime Memorial Act. The Act aimed to "encourage recognition of the wreck as a maritime memorial to those who lost their lives when it sank, to promote the development of an international agreement providing for the protection of the wreck, and to cultivate internationally recognized guidelines for research, exploration and, if appropriate, salvage activities."[2]

    Upon signing the bill, Reagan issued the following statement:

    Although I support the purpose of this act, I must register my objections to two of its provisions. Section 5(a) directs the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to enter into consultations with foreign nations; section 6(a) directs the Secretary of State to enter into negotiations with foreign nations. If interpreted literally, these requirements would contravene my constitutional authority to conduct foreign relations. To avoid this constitutional difficulty, these provisions must be viewed as discretionary. Entry into negotiations with the appropriate nations concerning the R.M.S Titanic is, of course, dependent on the willingness of those nations to support the development of the international agreement and guidelines encouraged by this act. I invite interested nations to join us in this endeavor.[6]

    After the Act's passing, the

    ratify it, though the signature of only two countries is sufficient for the agreement to enter force[2] – the United Kingdom ratified the agreement on November 6, 2003, and it was subsequently signed by the United States on June 18, 2004.[8] The agreement went into effect in 2019, with the United States' ratification.[9]

    References

    1. ^ a b "R.M.S. Titanic Memorial Act of 1986". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved March 13, 2012.
    2. ^ a b c d e "R.M.S. Titanic Maritime Memorial Act". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved March 13, 2012.
    3. ^ "16 USC § 450RR – R.M.S. Titanic; International Maritime Memorial; Findings and Purposes". Cornell University. Retrieved March 13, 2012.
    4. ISBN 1850893055
      .
    5. ^
      ISBN 1570036195
      .
    6. ^ Reagan, Ronald. "Statement on Signing the R.M.S. Titanic Maritime Memorial Act of 1986" (PDF). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved March 13, 2012.
    7. ^ "Agreement Concerning the Shipwrecked Vessel RMS Titanic" (PDF). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved March 13, 2012.
    8. ^ a b "R.M.S. Titanic International Agreement". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved March 13, 2012.
    9. ^ "United States Accepts Agreement Protecting Titanic Wreck Site". US Government. December 19, 2019. Archived from the original on December 20, 2019. Retrieved January 21, 2020.

    External links

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