‘A Legend Dark and Deep: Let the Titanic Sleep’

I would like to offer a differing opinion than that of Patt Morrison in her article (Sept. 5), “A Legend Dark and Deep: Let the Titanic Sleep.”

The Titanic is an historic treasure. It contains evidence of a life style now several generations removed from our present. This is a well-recorded time, but such rich and complete artifacts as can be found on the Titanic are now rare. In addition, as was stated in the article, no such ship at such a depth has been recovered before and the value to science could be enormous.

I realize that the often romanticized telling of the ship’s tragic fate has endeared this relic to our hearts, and there are still survivors to be found. But can we turn our backs on such an opportunity?

If this ship is not recovered by a team of scientists, what is to stop a purely greed-oriented salvage operation from attempting to recover this valuable find? There certainly seem to be enough well-equipped operators who might be able to handle the job. This ship is in international waters, and any attempt to stop a salvage operation is not within the jurisdiction of any country.

I submit that because of these facts, we have no choice. The Titanic must be raised, but raised by scientists interested in preserving the value of this find, not by individuals interested in a fast buck.

We have let this happen to treasures all over the globe. Uncountable are the losses of the Egyptians and the Aztecs. We must not let this happen to something as precious to us as this mighty, proud ship. Let her live again, not be torn apart in an ignoble grave-robbing raid.

DONALD S. ROBERTS

Fullerton