Who is Hamish Harding and who else is on the missing Titanic sub?

An eerie light glides across the darkened Titanic remains as rescue crews franticly continue their search for the lost submersible that had been set to tour the ghost ship. The sinking of the RMS Titanic in 1912 claimed 1500 lives, is it possible it has now claimed five more?

The Titan, a small submersible carrying five people launched into the icy water as it set out to visit the massive ship’s remains. While the launch from Newfoundland reportedly went well, the submersible seemed to have just vanished over the weekend. Now the race is on as the amount of usable air in the small vessel dwindles by the hour and so does the hope for a happy ending for this worrisome tale of the sea. So who are the mysterious passengers of this small vessel? We dug deep to find out.

The RMS Titanic sank into the icy waters of the Atlantic in 1912. It was touted as “the unsinkable ship,” so its sinking understandably garnered a lot of attention. Due to the belief the ship was unsinkable, there simply weren’t enough lifeboats aboard. So, when it struck an iceberg and subsequently began sinking, many were plunged into the icy water. With the temperature below freezing and the only rescue over an hour away, 1500 people ended up losing their lives on that fateful night. The story captured the attention of the masses and the Titanic has held that intrigue to this day.

Those with an adventurous spirit seem drawn to the wreckage of the great ship, and the group onboard the Titan is no exception. The group set out in the state-of-the-art experimental vessel, controlled by an Xbox controller. Yes, you read that correctly. However, the vessel and the brave explorers at the heart of this expansive search are now lost at sea.

Hamish Harding

Hamish Harding is a modern-day explorer if there ever was one. This 58-year-old British businessman and millionaire is not only the founder and chairman of Action Aviation, but also holds a few Guinness World Records. He created one for the “longest time traversing the deepest part of the ocean in a single dive” and “longest distance traversed at full ocean depth by a crewed vessel” as reported by the New York Times. Harding attended Cambridge University and also holds a “Living Legend of Aviation Award.”

As if all of that wasn’t impressive enough already, he also got to hop on a Jeff Bezos Blue Origin-funded flight to the moon. So this man is no stranger to adventure, and quite frankly, his being a part of the team on Titan doesn’t come as a surprise. He posted his excitement about the upcoming trip on his Instagram page.

He resides in the United Arab of Emirates and lives with his wife, Linda. He has two sons of his own, Rorry and Giles, and a stepson and stepdaughter from his wife Linda. His family is very concerned for his well-being, with his stepson Brian posting a request for “thoughts and prayers” for his stepfather on his Facebook page.

Shahzada and Suleman Dawood

This father-and-son team is at the heart of this ongoing rescue mission. Suleman, who is only 19 years old, and his father, Shahzada (48) belong to one of the wealthiest families in Pakistan, known for their textile manufacturing. Shazhada is the vice chairman of the Engro corporation and is also on the board of trustees of the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute. He is a philanthropist, founder of the Dawood Foundation, and is in the Founders Circle of the British Asian Trust. He lives in the U.K. with his wife and two children, including Sulemon and his sister Alina. He also reportedly is the proud father of a dog, Proteus, and a cat named Stig.

According to the SETI Institute, he is “an ardent animal lover” and an avid photographer. He and his son reportedly love embarking on adventures together and their trip aboard the Titan was no different. As per reports. Suleman is a fan of science fiction, Rubik’s cubes, and volleyball. The Dawood family issued a statement addressing Shahzada and Suleman’s missing status and said, “We are very grateful for the concern being shown by our colleagues and friends and would like to request everyone to pray for their safety,” 

Paul-Henri Nargeolet

Paul-Henri Nargeolet, 77 is a French maritime expert who is no stranger to diving into the depths. In fact, he has made 35 previous dives to the Titanic site with no reported issues and is the director of underwater research for the RMS Titanic, Inc. He is also an active member of The Explorers Club, a nonprofit organization dedicated to exploration, founded in 1904. Following his career in the Navy, he also broke the record for the deepest submersible dive, going down 35,000 feet. He was also aboard the very first human dive to visit the Titanic wreckage in 1987 and wrote the book In The Depths of The Titanic, which means he literally wrote the book on Titanic dives, rightfully earning the moniker “Mr. Titanic.”

Basically, Nargeolet is no beginner, and his presence on the vessel raises hope for the best. Nargeolet is a widower who lives in Connecticut while his children reside in Cork, Ireland.

Stockton Rush

Stockton Rush, 61, is the founder and CEO of Oceangate Expeditions, the company that owns and operates the submersibles and is in charge of piloting the underwater vessel. He attended Princeton University where he received a degree in aerospace engineering. Interestingly, he is the descendant of two of the original signers of the Declaration of Independence. As per reports, he always wanted to be an explorer, to dive into the unknown be it the depths of the ocean or the uncharted territories of the moon.

In his interview with CBS that aired last year, he discussed his motivations for founding his company and what draws him to the unknown so deeply. His trips reportedly cost about $250,000 per person but he feels they are worth it as deep sea travel “is amazing.” His wife, Wendy Rush, works as the Communications Director of Oceangate.

The search continues for the missing submersible and its crew. As the amount of useable air in the vessel slowly dwindles, the concern increases and the prayers of friends and family members of the passengers intensify. Rescue crews are reportedly doing everything they can and all are holding out hope for the safe return of everyone onboard the vessel. With so many avid adventures and seasoned explorers on the vessel, we too feel there is still hope for their extraordinary rescue.