Thomas Byles in ministry and his final hours on board the RMS Titanic. Thomas Byles Thomas Roussel Davids Byles (26 February 1870 – 15 April 1912) was an English Catholic priest who was a passenger aboard the "RMS Titanic" on its maiden voyage when it sank after striking an iceberg during the night of 15 April 1912. He was reported as being amidst the throng of trapped passengers on the ship's rear deck in its final moments of descent, audibly praying. Thomas Byles was born Roussel Davids Byles in Leeds, Yorkshire, the eldest of seven children of the Reverend Alfred Holden Byles,
RMS Titanic Maritime Memorial Act RMS Titanic Maritime Memorial Act The R.M.S. "Titanic" Maritime Memorial Act of 1986 (, ) is a United States Act of Congress that was passed to designate the wreck of the RMS "Titanic" as an international maritime memorial and to regulate the research, exploration and salvage of the wreckage. The Act became law on October 21, 1986, when it was passed by the 99th United States Congress. According to a 1985 report, the United States Congress was concerned about potential damage caused to the "Titanic"'s wreck caused by salvagers. The report found that: Walter B. Jones, Sr. (the Democratic Congressman