Titan Submersible Explosion: The US Coast Guard confirmed Thursday that the Titan Oceangate submersible that was on its way to the wreckage of the 1912 Titanic ship exploded near the wreck, killing all five passengers inside.
The incident marked a tragic end to several days of intense search operation after the ship was reported missing four days ago. Dead passengers included Oceangate CEO Stockton Rush, Pakistani billionaire Prince Dawood and his 19-year-old son Sulaiman.
Let’s take a look at the passengers who volunteered to be part of the Titanic shipwreck expedition:
stockton rush
Rush, 61, was the CEO of Oceangate and the pilot of the ill-fated submarine that exploded on Thursday. He founded the OceanGate Company in 2009 with the aim of increasing access and exploration of deep sea bodies. Prior to this, he was an engineer and contributed to the design of an experimental aircraft and other submarine vessels. They had childlike enthusiasm for underwater exploration and flouted some safety rules in the process, reports CNN. He was married to Wendy Rush, the great-granddaughter of Isidore and Ida Strauss, who tragically died in the 1912 sinking of the Titanic.
hamish harding
Harding is a British businessman and a trained jet pilot, who also served as chairman of Action Aviation, a private jet dealership based in Dubai. According to the BBC, Harding has visited the South Pole several times, once with astronaut Buzz Aldrin and also on a space flight in 2022 by Blue Origin, the aerospace company owned by Jeff Bezos. Harding holds three Guinness World Records, one for the longest voyage to the deepest part of the Mariana Trench and the other for the world’s fastest voyage. He is survived by his wife Linda, two sons Rory and Giles, and stepchildren Brian Szasz and Lauren.
Prince Dawood
Prince Dawood, 48, is one of Pakistan’s leading businessmen and comes from one of the country’s wealthiest families. He was vice-chairman of Agro Corporation, a large fertilizer farm in Pakistan, and has worked in his family’s business, the Dawood Hercules Corporation, and the SETI Institute. He was also an advisor to the Prince’s Trust International, a charitable organization founded by King Charles III. According to Geo News, Dawood was highly interested in exploring natural habitats. Dawood is survived by his wife Christine and second child Alina, who live in London.
Suleman Dawood
Sulaiman, the 19-year-old son of Prince Dawood, was killed during the massive explosion of the Titan submersible. Geo News reported that Suleman’s aunt, Azmeh Dawood, was apprehensive and hesitant about joining the trip. He said that he eventually got on the ship in an attempt to please his father. Suleman was a student at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow. He was described by his family as a science fiction lover.
Paul-Henri Nargolet
Paul Henri ‘PH’ Nargiolet was a former French Navy diver who was the director of RMS Titanic Inc., an underwater research company that has exclusive rights to recover artifacts from the wreck of the ship. In his years of experience in Titanic exploration, Nargiolet conducted 35 dives to the wreck and oversaw the salvage of 5,000 artifacts, including a 20-ton portion of the ship’s hull. Prior to this he was the commander of the French Navy. He is survived by his wife, Anne, three children and a stepson.
Meanwhile, Oceangate did not provide details on when the company announced the “loss of life” in a statement or how officials learned that the crew members were killed. Titan’s 96-hour oxygen supply likely ran out early Thursday.
Oceangate is detailing the decay of the Titanic and its surrounding underwater ecosystem through annual visits through 2021.
Titan was estimated to have about a four-day supply of breathable air when it launched into the North Atlantic on Sunday morning — but experts have stressed that was a vague estimate to begin with and if the passengers This can be increased if measures are taken to conserve the breathable air. ,
Read also: Sad! All 5 passengers of missing Titan Oceangate submersible dead after massive explosion