In the last minutes before the damaged Titanic slipped beneath the waves, wireless operator Jack Phillips tapped out “Come quick. Engine room nearly full” before his radio set finally fell silent.
After 108 years under the sea, salvage experts have raised the remarkable prospect that the state-of-the art Marconi transmitter used by Mr Phillips on that fateful night can be raised from four kilometres down in the north Atlantic and restored to working order.
But the plans have sparked controversy because of the prospect of disturbing the world’s most famous wreck where some 1,500 of the 2,224 passengers and crew died after the ship struck an iceberg on April 15, 1912.
“Titanic’s Marconi wireless telegraph apparatus literally represents the actual voice of Titanic and as such, should be recovered from the wreck as a matter of responsible stewardship,” according to legal documents filed by the US company with salvage rights for the wreck.
“If recovered it is conceivable that it could be restored to operable condition… Titanic’s radio – Titanic’s voice – could once again be heard, now and forever.”
While the company RMS Titanic Inc has collected items scattered around the wreck site, an attempt to retrieve items from the radio operators’ “Silent Cabin” would represent the first attempt to retrieve an object from within the ship, according to the UK’s Telegraph newspaper.
“The idea that a vested connection would warrant pilfering and pillaging what is essentially a tomb, I think it’s entirely misguided,” Gavin Robinson, an MP in the Northern Irish capital Belfast, where the ship was built, told the newspaper.
Details of the planned salvage operation came as the UK hailed an agreement that seeks to protect the wreck from explorers and tourists. An international treaty to limit access was signed by Britain in 2003 but only ratified by the United States last year.
"The UK will now work closely with other North Atlantic States to bring even more protection to the wreck of the Titanic," said British maritime minister Nusrat Ghani in a statement.
The agreement allows the two governments to issue licences to recover items and the RMS Titanic is set to make its case in a US court next month to be allowed to use a remotely operated submarine to recover the radio and its components.
The wireless set received news from other ships warning of the likelihood of encountering ice and the captain briefed officers about the threat just nine hours before the disaster. After the collision it was sole method of communication to nearby ships that allowed hundreds to be saved. The wireless operator, Jack Phillips, died in the wreck.
The US-based company said that the ship’s structure has deteriorated close to a state where it can no longer protect the radio. It was “still retrievable and intact as of this writing, but at imminent risk of being lost,” according to the legal documents seen by the National.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
The bio
Favourite book: Peter Rabbit. I used to read it to my three children and still read it myself. If I am feeling down it brings back good memories.
Best thing about your job: Getting to help people. My mum always told me never to pass up an opportunity to do a good deed.
Best part of life in the UAE: The weather. The constant sunshine is amazing and there is always something to do, you have so many options when it comes to how to spend your day.
Favourite holiday destination: Malaysia. I went there for my honeymoon and ended up volunteering to teach local children for a few hours each day. It is such a special place and I plan to retire there one day.
World Cup final
Who: France v Croatia
When: Sunday, July 15, 7pm (UAE)
TV: Game will be shown live on BeIN Sports for viewers in the Mena region
The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
On sale: Now
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'Project Power'
Stars: Jamie Foxx, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Dominique Fishback
Director: Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman
Rating: 3.5/5
Bundesliga fixtures
Saturday, May 16 (kick-offs UAE time)
Borussia Dortmund v Schalke (4.30pm)
RB Leipzig v Freiburg (4.30pm)
Hoffenheim v Hertha Berlin (4.30pm)
Fortuna Dusseldorf v Paderborn (4.30pm)
Augsburg v Wolfsburg (4.30pm)
Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Monchengladbach (7.30pm)
Sunday, May 17
Cologne v Mainz (4.30pm),
Union Berlin v Bayern Munich (7pm)
Monday, May 18
Werder Bremen v Bayer Leverkusen (9.30pm)
Earth under attack: Cosmic impacts throughout history
- 4.5 billion years ago: Mars-sized object smashes into the newly-formed Earth, creating debris that coalesces to form the Moon
- 66 million years ago: 10km-wide asteroid crashes into the Gulf of Mexico, wiping out over 70 per cent of living species – including the dinosaurs.
- 50,000 years ago: 50m-wide iron meteor crashes in Arizona with the violence of 10 megatonne hydrogen bomb, creating the famous 1.2km-wide Barringer Crater
- 1490: Meteor storm over Shansi Province, north-east China when large stones “fell like rain”, reportedly leading to thousands of deaths.
- 1908: 100-metre meteor from the Taurid Complex explodes near the Tunguska river in Siberia with the force of 1,000 Hiroshima-type bombs, devastating 2,000 square kilometres of forest.
- 1998: Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 breaks apart and crashes into Jupiter in series of impacts that would have annihilated life on Earth.
-2013: 10,000-tonne meteor burns up over the southern Urals region of Russia, releasing a pressure blast and flash that left over 1600 people injured.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Emergency phone numbers in the UAE
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
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