The French explorer, who died on the Titanic submersible’s voyage, worked for decades with a controversial company that had recovered thousands of relics from the shipwreck.
Paul-Henri Nargeolet, 77, nicknamed “Mr. Titanic”, led several expeditions for RMS Titanic Inc., which owns the sole salvage rights.
The company says it is “dedicated to preserving the heritage of the ship, the wreck site and all of its passengers,” but its work has proved controversial. Critics accused the company of trying to make a profit by “stealing and looting” a ship involved in the tragedy, which killed about 1,500 people.
Nargeolot, who said his goal is always “education and conservation,” had participated in dozens of dives to the site before his trip aboard the experimental submersible Titan.
The other victims were British billionaire adventurer Hamish Harding, 58, Shahzada Dawood, 48, a UK-based board member of the Prince’s Trust charity, and his son Sulaiman Dawood, 19, and OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, 61. .
PH Nargeolet, 71, was an expert on Titanic’s debris and worked with a company that has recovered thousands of artifacts from the site
A bronze cherub that would have adorned a stair post on the Titanic. The grand staircase of the ship was adorned with many of these gilded ornaments
A porcelain teacup used by a first class passenger and the pocket watch of Titanic’s postmaster Oscar Woody
A platinum, 18k gold and diamond ring (left), most likely belonging to one of Titanic’s first class passengers, is accompanied by a piece of sapphire and diamond
RMS recovered artifacts from the shipwreck during expeditions in 1987, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000 and 2004.
Numerous jewels were also recovered from the wreck.
These included an 18k gold and diamond ring, stunning necklaces and earrings.
In 2020, a British politician compared the RMS Titanic Inc to seafaring bandits, saying the work would amount to “stealing and looting” the wreck.
Gavin Robinson, DUP MP for Belfast East, where Titanic was built, has criticized a plan by American company RMS Titanic Inc. to recover Titanic artifacts and display them in Las Vegas.
RMS Titanic has always insisted on preserving the relics in the wreck before they are lost forever. It contacted the relatives of souls who lost their lives on board and received blessings for the rescue missions.
Among the items recovered since the discovery of the Titanic wreck in 1985 is the ship’s bell. Above: The bell on display in 2010
When the Titanic struck an iceberg and it became clear that the ship was going to sink, crewman Samuel Hemming received orders from Captain Edward Smith to make sure all 15 lifeboats had oil lamps lit. In 2012, the keys that Hemming used to unlock the door where the lanterns were kept were sold for £20,000. Significantly, they bear a label with the name of the ship. In 2016 the keys were again for sale
In 2012, the menu of the last meal served to First Class passengers on board Titanic sold for £76,000. The menu had been recovered by a survivor of the disaster
Nargeolet has recovered 5,000 artifacts from the ship over the course of his career and even lifted a 20-ton portion of the ship’s hull for analysis.
The items recovered from the ship have long captured the imagination of historians and hobbyists interested in the tragedy.
There are also many separate collections of items taken by the ship’s survivors and sold privately, including a menu of the last meal served to first-class passengers and items carried by the ship’s crew.
Nargeolet served as head of underwater research for RMS Titanic Inc. and appeared in numerous films and documentaries on the ship.
The company’s mission is to “explore the wreck of the Titanic and the surrounding marine areas; procurement of oceanographic material and scientific data; and use of the data and retrieved artifacts for historical verification, scientific education, and public awareness.
PH, as his friends call him, was born in Chamonix in the French Alps but spent his early years with his parents in Africa.
Nargeolet spent more than 20 years in the French Navy and became a commander.
He then specialized in deep submersibles and in 1987 led the first Titanic salvage expedition.
Nargeolet was married to American news anchor Michelle Marsh until her death in 2017 at the age of 63. He lived in Connecticut and his children live in Cork, Ireland.
Built between 1909 and 1912 by Belfast-based shipbuilders Harland and Wolff, the RMS Titanic was the largest ship afloat of her time. The picture shows the Titanic during sea trials
Built between 1909 and 1912 by Belfast-based shipbuilders Harland and Wolff, the RMS Titanic was the largest ship afloat of her time
The Titan, operated by OceanGate, was en route to the wreckage of the Titanic when it imploded
Titan was a tourist submarine that imploded 12,500 feet under the Atlantic Ocean while en route to the wreck of the Titanic
In 2016, RMS Titanic Inc and its parent company Premier Exhibitions Inc filed for bankruptcy and were on the verge of auctioning off the relics in their possession.
Some activists, including Titanic director James Cameron, led a failed campaign to get the collection owned by a museum consortium. The auction never took place.
Nargeolet said in 2012: “I remember having a conversation with [a Titanic victim’s relative]a woman who told me, “I don’t like what you’re doing because my father died on the ship.”
‘That’s okay for me. But I’ve met other survivors who like what we’re doing. They believe it helps keep the ship and its legacy alive.”
He added, “I think it’s good to record the artifacts, it’s good for education and conservation.” That’s the goal.’