Ballard: Leave Titanic rest in peace

The explorer who found the Titanic has told of his fears that the inside of ship will be stripped of its priceless artifacts by treasure hunters.

Robert Ballard, who found the wreck on the ocean floor in 1985, believes the world’s most famous ship should be left to rest in peace at the bottom of the ocean.

The oceanographer told a National Geographic documentary that tourism and prospectors have stripped and damaged the outside of the ship, with submarines charging €45,000 a head to land on the deck.

“The Titanic is becoming a junkyard. There are piles of chains and big bags. There is a lot of trash down there.

“It’s really sad when I look at the damage done by the submarines.

“We in many ways opened a pandora’s box. If the Titanic is not protected it will get stripped until all the jewels have been taken off the old lady’s body.

“The Titanic is really a deep sea museum with the doors wide open. There is no lock on the door and no guard.”

As the ship lies 1,000 miles from New York and 400 miles from Newfoundland it is very hard to police it.

“There are no international laws,” said Ballard.

“I am mostly concerned about the technology to get inside. That’s where the perseveration is the highest and most of the contents are there.”

When he found the ship in 1985, it caused an explosion of interest with thousands of artifacts going under the hammer at auctions.

By marine law, the explorer could have claimed ownership of the Titanic during his deep sea mission by taking a single artifact but he chose not to bag the rights to the ship where so many people perished.

Ballard, who examined footage of the wreck for the documentary, said there is a dramatic difference in the condition of the Titanic 16 years on.

Even the crow’s nest on the mast where the lookout spotted the iceberg is gone. It is thought it was knocked down by a passing submarine.

"Legislation protecting the Titanic was introduced in the US this year and it is thought it could be in force in law by the end of the year. Ballard said he would not stop campaigning until the Titanic was fully protected.