A Titanic Struggle: One Possible Resolution of the Conflict Between Preservation for the Public Good and Private Law Property Rights‪.‬

INTRODUCTION Every reader will be familiar with the story of RMS Titanic and so she needs little introduction. The 882.5 ft ocean liner--hailed as a ship which even God alone could not sink- set sail from Southampton on 10th April 1912 bound for New York but was destined to founder a little more than 220 miles off the coast of Newfoundland after colliding with an iceberg in the early morning of 15th April 1912 with the loss of over 1,500 lives. The story of RMS Titanic has certainly given rise to a fair number of myths and legends in its own right. However, the wreck of RMS Titanic finds itself at the very heart of the most fundamental questions about underwater cultural heritage and, in particular, it brings into relief the need for a balance between, on the one hand, the preservation of unique cultural property for future generations and, on the other, the worldwide desire for its exploration, its artefacts and a greater understanding of the mysteries surrounding its fate which are still, to an extent, without answer.