Who owns the wreck?
Under admiralty law, the owner of a ship retains rights to its wreck, unless the owner abandons it or an unusually long period of time has passed since the vessel sank. It is generally accepted when the White Star Line sold their company to Cunard that Titanic was not included in the sale because it had sunk and could not be recovered. A portion of the hull was insured by several insurance companies, none of which have ever stepped forward to claim ownership. To date, no court has awarded ownership rights, due to abandonment, to another entity.
