Titanic court ruling ‘disrespects the dead’

A GOLEEN lawyer has said he’s extremely disappointed at the decision by a US judge to allow a salvage operation on the Titanic this summer.

Michael Kingston, a London-based maritime expert said the 1,500 people who lost their lives when the ship sank in 1912 deserve more respect.

The salvage operation will cut into the wreckage to try to recover a Marconi telegraph.

Mr Kingston said: ‘In November 2017 I met the Minister for Foreign Affairs and explained the importance for Ireland of ratifying the International Agreement for the protection of the Titanic wreck. Ireland’s government have not acted as advised and the consequence is that we, as a nation, have no formal say in the current proceedings regarding the Titanic wreck, a disaster and tragedy that, as we all know, is central to the strained past of Irish emigration; the sad death, and loss of hope for hundreds of relatives in parishes all over Ireland.’

He continued: ‘We owe it to the memory of those who died and all their relatives in Ireland.

‘We need to do much better in Irish government at respecting the dead, not just in respect of past maritime tragedies, but in respect of present fishing, leisure craft and merchant seafaring tragedies and their investigations and kindness to victims’ families, which would after all, be in line with ordinary and natural Irish culture.’