The five men onboard the Titan submersible are officially presumed dead after debris from the missing vessel was discovered Thursday. The Titan disappeared Sunday, less than two hours after its descent to the RMS Titanic wreckage off the coast of Newfoundland. Although the world hoped for a miracle, experts now believe their worst fears have come to light. The Titan appears to have suffered a catastrophic implosion that killed all five explorers.
The bodies of OceanGate Inc. CEO and Titan captain Stockton Rush, 61, and four passengers are still missing. He, along with Hamish Harding, 58, Paul-Henri Nargeolet, 77, Shahzada Dawood, 48, and his son Suleman Dawood, 19, are being remembered for their love of adventure.
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Stockton Rush
By most accounts, Rush was a brilliant businessman with a lust for adventure. He founded the privately owned tourism company OceanGate Expeditions in 2009, and in 2012, he started the OceanGate Foundation. This nonprofit organization worked to develop marine science, history, and archaeology, according to the New York Times.
Rush thought big and told Fast Company Magazine in 2017, that he wanted to be the first person to go to Mars.
"I mean, if you just want to be safe, don't get out of bed," he said in an interview with "CBS News Sunday Morning" last year, per the New York Times. "Don't get in your car. Don't do anything. At some point, you're going to take some risk, and it really is a risk-reward question. I think I can do this just as safely by breaking the rules."
Hamish Harding
Harding was a billionaire British businessman who was always up for an adventure and had big dreams.
NPR reported that Harding was a Guinness World Record holder for the fastest flight around the Earth's poles in 2019, and he broke two other Guinness World Records for the longest duration at a full ocean depth by a crewed vessel and the longest distance traveled along the deepest part of the ocean.
His company, Action Aviation, released a statement about losing the beloved founder.
"Hamish Harding was a loving husband to his wife and a dedicated father to his two sons, whom he loved deeply. To his team in Action Aviation, he was a guide, an inspiration, a support and a living legend. He was one of a kind and we adored him. He was a passionate explorer – whatever the terrain – who lived his life for his family, his business and for the next adventure," the statement reads.
Paul-Henri Nargeolet
Nargeolet was known by many as "Mr. Titanic" for his vast knowledge of the ship, according to NPR. He served in the French Navy for 22 years before retiring in 1986. During his time with the French Institute for Research and Exploitation of the Sea, he led the first recovery dive to the Titanic wreckage in 1987, according to his biography.
Nargeolet's stepson, John Nathaniel Paschall, told NBC News his stepfather was a Titanic enthusiast and had been to the wreckage site 35 times.
Paschall said he had no fear about his stepfather venturing to the wreckage due to his expertise, but the family knew the dangers. Nargeolet's legacy is in the ship.
"He put so much of his life into that ship and I think it showed that he's, in my opinion, the world expert on the Titanic," he said.
Shahzada and Suleman Dawood
Shahzada Dawood was the vice chairman of Engro, a Pakistani energy investment company, and an investment and holdings firm, Dawood Hercules Corp. Suleman Dawood was a first-year business student at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow. According to their family, the pair loved to adventure together.
"In this unfathomable tragedy, 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," an obituary reads.
Shahzada Dawood's sister, Azmeh Dawood, told NBC News her nephew "wasn't very up for it" and felt "terrified," but he went on the trip because it fell on Father’s Day and he wanted to please his dad.
"I feel like I've been caught in a really bad film, with a countdown, but you didn't know what you're counting down to," she said. "I personally have found it kind of difficult to breathe thinking of them."
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OceanGate released a statement Thursday regarding the tragedy.
"We now believe that our CEO Stockton Rush, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding, and Paul-Henri Nargeolet, have sadly been lost. These men were true explorers who shared a distinct spirit of adventure, and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the world’s oceans. Our hearts are with these five souls and every member of their families during this tragic time. We grieve the loss of life and joy they brought to everyone they knew," the statement reads.
"This is an extremely sad time for our dedicated employees who are exhausted and grieving deeply over this loss. The entire OceanGate family is deeply grateful for the countless men and women from multiple organizations of the international community who expedited wide-ranging resources and have worked so very hard on this mission. We appreciate their commitment to finding these five explorers, and their days and nights of tireless work in support of our crew and their families," it continues.
"This is a very sad time for the entire explorer community, and for each of the family members of those lost at sea. We respectfully ask that the privacy of these families be respected during this most painful time."
