LONDON (AP) — Filmmaker James Cameron and Titanic discoverer Robert Ballard are backing a bid by a group of British museums to acquire a collection of 5,500 artifacts from the Titanic.

The campaign announced Tuesday aims to raise $20 million (15 million pounds) to buy the items from the private American company that salvaged them from the wreck. The group says the future of the items is uncertain because that company has filed for bankruptcy.

The objects include a section of the ship's hull and a bronze cherub decoration from the ship's grand staircase.

The bid for the artifacts comes from the Royal Museums Greenwich, National Museums Northern Ireland, Titanic Belfast and Titanic Foundation Limited.

The bid was announced at Titanic Belfast at the location where the ship was designed, built and launched.