On Sunday, June 18, a submarine called Titan that was visiting the Titanic wreck disappeared in the Atlantic with five people on board, including a British businessman, another Pakistani and a French aquanaut.
The U.S. and Canadian Coast Guards launched a search and rescue mission on Monday, June 19 to try to locate a small tourist submarine named Titan, which was headed to the Titanic sinking area and was reported missing. in the Atlantic Ocean off North America with five people on board.
The submersible, owned by the company OceanGate Expeditions, began its dive on Sunday but lost contact with the surface less than two hours later, according to authorities.
Hamish Harding
The first passenger is Hamish Harding, 58, British businessman and CEO of Dubai-based Action Aviation.
On Instagram, the Briton confirmed his participation in this mission. “Due to the worst Newfoundland winter in 40 years, this mission will likely be the first and only manned mission to Titanic in 2023. A weather window has just opened and we will attempt a dive tomorrow. “We departed from Saint John’s, Newfoundland, Canada yesterday and plan to begin diving operations tomorrow around 4am,” the British businessman wrote ahead of the start of this fifth mission.
Hamish Harding. © Jannicke Mikkelsen/via Portal
Hamish Harding flew into space a year ago aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket on a 10-minute flight. This was the fifth successful manned mission for Jeff Bezos’ company. The latter is also his “mentor”.
He is mentioned several times in the Guinness Book of Records.
In July 2019, he was part of a team that flew the fastest plane around the world in 46 hours, 40 minutes and 22 seconds, crossing both poles.
In March 2021, he and fellow explorer Victor Vescovo dived deep into the Mariana Trench, the deepest previously known part of the ocean, aboard a two-seat submersible. This mission was the longest at this depth (4 hours and 15 minutes) and the longest distance traveled (4,600 meters).
Stockton Rush
The second passenger is Stockton Rush, CEO and founder of OceanGate. A trained pilot, he became the youngest transport pilot in the world at the age of 19. In an interview with SkyNews last February, Stockton Rush spoke about visiting the wreck of the Titanic.
Stockton Rush. © Shannon Stapleton/File Photo/Portal
“What really stands out is its beauty. It’s an incredibly beautiful wreck. (…) We dived in and saw the grand staircase and some of the chandeliers that were still hanging. Next year we hope to send a small robot in, but for now we’re staying out,” he said.
Paul Henri Nargeolet
Frenchman Paul-Henri Nargeolet is a former submarine pilot turned specialist in deep sea diving and a passion for marine archaeology. The marine explorer, who comes from Haute-Savoie and is now 77 years old, spent the first part of his career as a naval officer.
As commander of the clearance diving group in Cherbourg (Manche, north-west of France) he then became a submarine pilot of the Undersea Intervention Group, which belongs to the French Navy.
From there he turned to marine archeology, excavating several wrecks as part of the Naval Archeology Research Group.
As early as 1987, Paul-Henri Nargeolet saw wreckage on board the French submarine Nautile. Dozens of dives followed over the years, notably allowing the recovery of several hundred objects.
The latest date dates back to the summer of 2021, the submariner says in a lengthy interview published on the website of La Cité de la Mer, a museum in Cherbourg.
“Our last dive in the front part of the Titanic, with no current, which is very rare, allowed us to see parts of the wreck from a different angle for the first time, which made it particularly interesting,” he said.
Paul-Henri Nargeolet became director of the research program at RMS Titanic/Phoenix International, which owns the wreck, in 2007.
Paul-Henri Nargeolet ©HarperCollins France/Portal
Shahzada Dawood and her son Suleiman
The last two passengers on the tourist sub are Shahzada Dawood, vice chairman of conglomerate Engro, based in Karachi, southern Pakistan, and his son Suleman.
“At this point, contact with the dive boat has been lost and little information is available,” her family said. “We are grateful for the concerns of our colleagues and friends and would like to ask everyone to pray for their safety,” she added.
Suleman and Shahzada Dawood © Courtesy of Engro Corporation Limited/via Portal
Engro invests in several business areas: energy, agriculture, petrochemicals and telecommunications.
Shahzada’s father, Hussain Dawood, is regularly cited by the Pakistani press as one of the richest men in the country.
Designed to carry five people at depths of 4,000 meters with a range of 96 hours, the Titan began its descent on Sunday. According to the authorities, contact with the approximately 6.50 meter long vehicle broke off less than two hours after departure.