Confirmed Dead: The 5 Passengers on the Titanic-Bound Submersible
Five passengers began their descent to the Titanic wreck site off the coast of Newfoundland in the early morning of Sunday, June 18, 2023. The trip down typically takes about two hours, and everything was presumably proceeding according to plan until one hour and 45 minutes in, at which point the sub, called the Titan, lost contact with its support ship, the Polar Prince, and a red flag was raised.
On Thursday, June 22, the U.S. Coast Guard confirmed that the passengers died in what's being described as a "catastrophic implosion."
Who was on the Titanic-bound submersible?
There were five people on board the Titan, including the pilot for OceanGate, the company responsible for the expedition, and four "mission specialists" (i.e. people who paid an estimated $250,000 each to join the trip).
Hamish Harding
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Hamish Harding was a 58-year-old British billionaire and chairman of Action Aviation, a company that supplies parts to other aviation brands. A pilot who previously traveled on a suborbital spaceflight, Harding has been described as having had an adventurous spirit. "He doesn't stand still. If he's not working hard, he's exploring hard," said friend Jannicke Mikkelson (via Reuters).
On Sunday, June 18, Action Aviation's Instagram account shared photos of Harding with a caption that indicated he was "currently diving" to the wreckage.
On his own page, Harding wrote prior to his departure: "I am proud to finally announce that I joined @oceangateexped for their RMS TITANIC Mission as a mission specialist on the sub going down to the Titanic...Due to the worst winter in Newfoundland in 40 years, this mission is likely to be the first and only manned mission to the Titanic in 2023. A weather window has just opened up and we are going to attempt a dive tomorrow."
Related: Friend of Billionaire Titanic Sub Passenger Reveals His Last Text Message
Shahzada and Suleman Dawood
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The father-and-son duo (ages 48 and 19) were of Pakistani descent and lived in the UK, where Shahzada, a scion of one of Pakistan's wealthiest families, was a vice chairman of Engro Corporation, with investments in fertilizers, vehicle manufacturing, energy and digital technologies. He was also a member of the Global Advisory board for Prince's Trust International, King Charles III's charity. His son was a university student and, according to Engro, a fan of science fiction, volleyball and solving Rubik’s Cubes (via The New York Times).
Shahzada and his wife, Christine, also shared a daughter, Alina.
Related: Who Were the Titanic Survivors and What Happened to Them After They Were Rescued?
Paul Henri Nargeolet
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Former French navy commander and oceanographer Paul Henri Nargeolet, 77, was considered one of the world's foremost experts on the Titanic wreck. He headed up the first recovery expedition to the Titanic in 1987, completed more than 35 dives to the shipwreck overall, and acted as the director of underwater research for RMS Titanic, which owns the rights to the site.
According to Olivier Lefort, oceanographic fleet operations director for the French ocean research institute Ifremer—through which Nargeolet began honing his Titanic expertise in the eighties—the only part of the ship that Nargeolet had not explored by the time of his death was the safe room, where gold and jewels were stored.
On the dangers of deep-sea diving, Nargeolet reportedly once told France Bleu radio (via MSN), "I am not afraid to die, I think it will happen one day."
Stockton Rush
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Stockton Rush was the founder and CEO of OceanGate Expeditions, the company that spearheaded the trip to the Titanic's final resting spot.
His wife, Wendy Rush, is reportedly descended from two victims of the Titanic wreck. Her great-great-grandparents were Isidor Straus, a co-owner of Macy’s, and Ida Straus, both of whom reportedly refused to board lifeboats without the other. Their story was depicted in the movie Titanic, directed by James Cameron.
Next, The Internet Calls Out Titanic Tourist Sub Footage That Did Not Age Well
