Key dates in the history of the Titanic and the battles over its final resting place
Jun 22, 2026, 1:43 PM
FILE - Photographs of the Titanic are displayed in a family album at the Transport museum in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2014. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison, File)
Credit: AP Photo/Peter Morrison
(AP Photo/Peter Morrison, File)
The U.S. government is opposing a plan to auction dozens of artifacts salvaged from the remains of the Titanic, adding another page to the ship’s storied history.
More than a century after the disaster, the Titanic remains a source of endless fascination. Here’s a timeline of the ship’s history, from its maiden voyage to the battle over its artifacts:
April 10, 1912 — Following more than two years of construction, the Titanic launches from Southampton, England. After stops in France and Ireland, 2,200 people are on board for the trip to New York City.
April 14, 1912 — Despite repeated ice warnings in the northern reaches of the Atlantic Ocean, the Titanic strikes an iceberg just before midnight off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada.
April 15, 1912 — In just a matter of hours, the Titanic sinks to the ocean floor, killing about 1,500 passengers and crew.
Sept. 1, 1985 — A team of French and American researchers discover the Titanic’s final resting place some 2.3 miles (3.7 kilometers) below the ocean’s surface. They’re able to verify that the ship had split in half.
July 1986 — Researchers use a submarine to reach the Titanic, becoming the first people to directly view the ship in 74 years. They make 11 dives, capturing images and video of the wreckage. No artifacts are removed.
October 1986 — The U.S. establishes a law designed to set guidelines for explorations at the Titanic site and to protect the artifacts. But the law does not slow excursions to the ship or stop the removal of artifacts.
July 1987 — Titanic Ventures, an American company, works with a French research institute to retrieve the first items from the ship, including dishes used by passengers. Over the next months, 1,800 artifacts are collected. The group agreed not to sell the artifacts and keep the collection together.
May 1993 — Titanic Ventures, the group involved with the 1987 expedition, sells its salvage rights to RMS Titanic Inc. A month later, RMS Titanic recovers 800 artifacts from the wreckage. The items retrieved included personal belongings, such as a watch and suitcases, and items from the ship, such as dishes. There were some surprising finds, including a set of bagpipes and sheet music.
June 1994 — A U.S. federal court grants RMS Titanic exclusive rights to the wreckage. The ruling, though, says the company can’t be considered the sole owner of the artifacts.
March 1999 — A U.S. appeals court rules that RMS Titanic can’t stop other companies from venturing to or photographing the site of the Titanic.
February 2000 — The world’s largest display of artifacts from the Titanic opens in Chicago. Some museums reject the exhibition, objecting to the plundering of archaeological sites.
August 2011 — A U.S. federal court gives RMS Titanic title to thousands of artifacts it salvaged between 1993 and 2004. One of the agreed upon conditions is that the company will keep the collection intact and won’t sell any items individually.
May 2017 — The U.S. implements an international treaty that requires anyone under U.S. jurisdiction to obtain permission from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration before doing any research or salvage work that disturbs the wreck site.
June 18, 2023 — The experimental submersible Titan implodes during a voyage to the Titanic, killing five people. Among those who died were French underwater explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, director of underwater research for RMS Titanic.
August 2023 — The U.S. government moves to stop RMS Titanic from a planned expedition to recover items of historical interest from the Titanic, citing federal law and an international agreement.
July 2024 — RMS Titanic makes its first expedition to the Titanic since 2010 to analyze the wreckage and remaining artifacts.
January 2025 — The U.S. drops its litigation against RMS Titanic because it says the company no longer has dive plans to the shipwreck that could break federal law.
March 2026 — In court filings, RMS Titanic reveals a proposal to auction 100 lots of artifacts removed from the wreckage in 1987. While most details about the sale are sealed, the company indicates it plans a global tour of the items.
June 2026 — A judge orders court documents unsealed that show the U.S. and NOAA opposing the sale of those Titanic artifacts.
