Last photo of Hamish Harding, PH Nargeolet and Stockton Rush aboard missing Titanic
A British billionaire is on board a submersible which has vanished during a mission to the site of the Titanic’s wreckage, with a renowned French explorer and the CEO of the expedition company also believed to be on board.
Hamish Harding, 58, is part of the crew on board the vessel which is believed to have embarked on its journey from Newfoundland, in Canada, at 4am on Sunday. A frantic search and rescue mission is now underway to locate and recover the craft, which can hold five people.
Harding, who also recently traveled to space in a Blue Origin craft, said the crew was also expected to include veteran French explorer PH Nargeolet, a pre-eminent expert on the Titanic who has led a number of expeditions to the ship’s wreckage.
Stockton Rush, the CEO and founder of OceanGate Expeditions, which operated the trip, is also feared to be on board, Sky News reported.
The developments came as it emerged another explorer, David Concannon, who was slated to join the trip was forced to cancel at the last minute. He is now helping with the rescue efforts.
Harding’s stepson, Brian Szasz, said on Facebook that he was sending ‘thoughts and prayers’ following the disappearance.
‘Pray for a successful recovery,’ he added. ‘Thoughts and prayers for my stepfather Hamish Harding as his submarine has gone missing exploring Titanic. Search and rescue mission is underway.’
Harding is a renowned explorer who holds several world records. In 2019, he led a mission which set the world record for the fastest circumnavigation of the earth over both poles.
He also holds the record for the longest amount of time spent at the bottom of the ocean after traversing the Mariana trench, the deepest point on Earth, for four hours and 15 minutes. The father-of-two also holds another record for the longest distance, three miles, covered at the bottom of the ocean.
Harding, the chairman of Action Aviation, was a passenger on the fifth commercial flight of Blue Origin, the space travel company owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
On Saturday, he posted his pride at joining the Titanic mission and said: ‘Due to the worst winter in Newfoundland in 40 years, this mission is likely to be the first and only manned mission to the Titanic in 2023. A weather window has just opened up and we are going to attempt a dive tomorrow.’
‘The team on the sub has a couple of legendary explorers, some of which have done over 30 dives to the RMS Titanic since the 1980s including PH Nargeolet,’ he added.