NORFOLK, Va. (AP) People have been diving to the Titanics wreck for 35 years. No one has found human remains, according to the company that owns the salvage rights.

But the companys plan to retrieve the ships iconic radio equipment has sparked a debate: Could the worlds most famous shipwreck still hold remains of passengers and crew who died a century ago?

Lawyers for the U.S. government have raised that question in an ongoing court battle to block the planned expedition. They cite archaeologists who say remains could still be there. And they say the company fails to consider the prospect in its dive plan.

Fifteen hundred people died in that wreck, said Paul Johnston, curator of maritime history at the Smithsonians National Museum of American History. You cant possibly tell me that some human remains arent buried deep somewhere where there are no currents.