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Remembering the lives of 5 adventurers who died in Titanic sub tragedy

From the trailblazer with an eye on history to 'Mr Titanic', these explorers had incredible stories that earned the respect of people around them

They were insatiable explorers, brave adventurers, doting fathers, and a dutiful son. Their passion and courage made people aware of the dangers of deep ocean exploration. And as we share the grief of their family and friends, let us look back at their lives, remember their happy memories, and be inspired by the legacy they left behind.

Hamish Harding: Accomplished adventurer

Dubai-based British billionaire Hamish Harding was most excited about the voyage to see the Titanic shipwreck.

He spoke earlier to Khaleej Times and said: “I’ve been fortunate enough to get an opportunity to dive to the Titanic which sank in 1912, when it hit the iceberg and split into two as it sank. I’ll be lucky enough to go down the submarine and explore the Titanic and see what’s left of it now over 100 years later.”

A day before the dive, he posted on Instagram a photo of him signing his name on the Mission V Titanic expedition and captioned it: “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.”

It was a dream come true for Harding, who was a pilot and already an accomplished adventurer with three Guinness World Records, including the longest duration spent at full ocean depth and the longest distance traversed at full ocean depth.

He also led the One More Orbit mission, which achieved the record for the fastest circumnavigation of the Earth via both poles in 46 hours and 40 minutes; and last year, he was part of the fifth human sub-orbital space flight for Blue Origin’s New Shepard programme. He did it because he wanted the youth to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

The UAE had a special place in his heart, as it was this country that inspired him to become an accomplished adventurer. He previously told the UAE media: “Ever since I set up my home here 20 years ago, I have never ceased to be amazed by the spirit of adventure in this country, which is always striving to achieve the biggest, the fastest. Records in excellence in this country have always helped me push my boundaries.”

Stockton Rush: A trailblazer with eye on history

Many things have been said about Stockton Rush, CEO and founder of OceanGate Inc, including one that he'd 'broken some rules' by making the Titan submersible out of carbon fibre and not pure metal. He admitted to his unconventional approach and noted it was “an innovative new way to explore the ocean's depths.”

Setting aside his approach to marine engineering, one could not deny the fact that he always had his eye on history.

On June 6, he posted a photo – via OceanGate Instagram account — of his visit early this year in Belfast. He proudly stood in the same dry dock where Titanic was built. “It was a fascinating trip filled with Titanic history,” he said.

History is on his side. His wife, Wendy Rush, who is also the director of communications and expedition team member at OceanGate Expeditions, is the great-granddaughter of Isidor and Ida Straus, an American couple who rode the Titanic as first-class passengers and died when it sank in April 1912.

A fictionalised version of the couple is even featured in the award-winning James Cameron movie — where they are seen embracing each other on a bed as water enters their cabin.

In real-life account, Wendy’s great-grandparents had a chance to escape the 1912 tragedy on a lifeboat. Isidor, who served as a US congressman, however, refused to leave until all women and children had deboarded the ill-fated ship; while Ida adamantly stayed with her husband.

A report even said Ida Straus gave her fur coat to her maid, Ellen Bird, in freezing temperatures as she left on a sailboat.

The Rush couple – Stockton and Wendy – must have surely included this piece of history as one of their motivations in doing the Titanic missions.

Shahzada and Suleman Dawood: Father and son from prominent Pakistani family

One heart-rending account that emerged after the tragic news of Titan's 'catastrophic implosion' is the background story of the father and son Shahzada and Suleman Dawood.

It was reported that Suleman was initially hesitant and ‘terrified’ about the trip to explore the wreckage of the Titanic. But the 19-year-old ended up going aboard OceanGate's 22-foot submersible because the trip fell over Father's Day weekend and he was eager to please his dad, who was passionate about the lore of the Titanic, Suleman’s aunt, Azmed, said.

The voyage was on Father’s Day, June 18, and it was Suleman’s Father's Day gift for his dad.

Pakistani-British businessman Shahzada Dawood was from one of Pakistan's richest families. Before the trip, Shahzada lived with his wife, Christine, and other child Alina, in Surbiton, southwest London; while Suleman was a student at University of Strathclyde, Glasgow. He had just finished his first year at Strathclyde Business School.

The Dawood family spent a month in Canada prior to the dive.

Shahzada was vice-chairman of Pakistani conglomerate Engro Corporation, a large fertiliser firm. He had various interests and affiliations, including with his family's Dawood Foundation, as well as the SETI Institute, a California-based research organisation on extra-terrestrial life. He was also a supporter of two charities founded by King Charles III, the British Asian Trust and the Prince's Trust International.

Business leaders and officials were deeply saddened by the untimely demise of the father and son. Their sentiments were encapsulated in this message: "We try to find solace in the enduring legacy of humility and humanity that they have left behind and find comfort in the belief that they passed on to the next leg of their spiritual journey hand-in-hand, father and son.”

Paul-Henry Nargeolet: Mr. Titanic

No one was more deserving to be called 'Mr. Titanic' than former French Navy commander Paul-Henry Nargeolet, 77. A submarine operator and daredevil deep-sea explorer, he reportedly spent more time at the Titanic shipwreck than any other explorer and was part of the first expedition to visit it in 1987, just two years after it was found.

He has been hailed “as having helped advance mankind's understanding of the unknown world" in the depths of the ocean. He supervised the recovery of thousands of Titanic artefacts, including a 20-tonne section of the ship's hull.

“He was the world specialist on the Titanic – its conception, the shipwreck, he has dived in four corners of the world. He was a super-hero for us in France,” family spokesman Mathieu Johann told Reuters.

Born in 1946, Nargeolet spent more than two decades in the French navy before joining the French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea (IFREMER) in 1986. The following year, in 1987, he led the first expedition to collect objects from the wreck. In 1989, he took over managing the deep-sea sub expeditions of Genavir, the operator of France's oceanographic fleet.

"We are deeply saddened by the death of this insatiable explorer of the ocean, who left his mark on Genavir. His dives will remain engraved in the memory of French oceanography,” said Éric Derrien, director at Genavir.

Many oceanographers and deep-sea explorers have also described Nargeolet as a passionate, extraordinary explorer with insatiable quest for ocean adventure and an incredible storyteller.

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