President of the Explorers Club pays tribute to members Hamish Harding and Paul-Henri Nargeolet after death of Titanic Five was confirmed – praising them for the ‘betterment of mankind’
- Tributes have began to pour in for the five men who died onboard the missing submersible Titan, which is believed to have imploded
- In a letter from the Explorers Club, President Richard Garriott said the five men who perished would ‘continue to inspire us in the name of science’
- READ MORE: MailOnline’s full coverage of the missing sub
The President of the Explorers Club has paid tribute to members Hamish Harding and Paul-Henri Nargeolet after the deaths of the Titanic Five were confirmed.
OceanGate, the company behind the expedition, said that all five had died during the adventure after the landing frame and rear cover of the sub were discovered.
Since then, tributes have begun pouring in from across the globe to remember the men on board, including from Titanic director James Cameron and British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly.
This includes a letter from Richard Garriott, President of the Explorers Club – a professional society for scientists and entrepreneurs – who said the men had been ‘drawn to explore’ for the ‘betterment of mankind’.
Garriott wrote: ‘Our hearts are broken. I am so sorry to have to share this tragic news.
French Navy veteran PH Nargeolet (left) was on the sub along with Stockton Rush (right), CEO of the OceanGate Expedition
Five people had been on board, including British billionaire adventurer Hamish Harding (left) and Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman, who was just 19
The five men had been aboard the OceanGate Titan, pictured here, trying to see the wreck of the Titanic when it imploded
Richard Garriott said the men had been ‘drawn to explore’ for the ‘betterment of mankind’
‘Our friends and fellow Explorers Club members Hamish Harding and Paul-Henri Nargeolet are lost, along with Stockton Rush, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman, while trying to reach the RMS Titanic.
‘Hamish Harding is a dear friend to me personally and to The Explorers Club. He holds several world records and has continued to push dragons off maps both in person and through supporting expeditions and worthy causes.
‘Paul-Henri was elected to the Club in 2001 and was one of the foremost experts on submersible expeditions to the Titanic.
‘They were both drawn to explore, like so many of us, and did so in the name of meaningful science for the betterment of mankind.
‘While we did not know Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman personally, their desire to explore as a family would have led them to our doorstep at some point in their futures, where we would have welcomed them.
‘Their memories will be a blessing and will continue to inspire us in the name of science and exploration.’
Shahzada Dawood was one of Pakistan’s richest men. Also on board was OceanGate chief executive Stockton Rush.
Garriott said that the club were ‘heartbroken for the families, friends and colleagues of those who were lost’
Read Garriott’s letter to the Explorers Club in full
Dear Fellow Explorers,
Our hearts are broken. I am so sorry to have to share this tragic news.
Our friends and fellow Explorers Club members Hamish Harding and Paul-Henri Nargeolet are lost, along with Stockton Rush, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman, while trying to reach the RMS Titanic.
After deploying all the military and commercial resources available to search for the submersible, the U.S. Coast Guard announced the catastrophic implosion of the Titan submersible within the water column above the Titanic.
We are thankful for the leadership from the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, The White House, Members of Congress, Magellan Deep Water Specialists, partners and collaborators who deployed as part of the search and rescue mission.
We are also grateful for all our members and the scientific and exploration community around the world who have mobilized personnel and resources to support the search and rescue.
Hamish Harding is a dear friend to me personally and to The Explorers Club.
He holds several world records and has continued to push dragons off maps both in person and through supporting expeditions and worthy causes.
Paul-Henri was elected to the Club in 2001 and was one of the foremost experts on submersible expeditions to the Titanic.
They were both drawn to explore, like so many of us, and did so in the name of meaningful science for the betterment of mankind.
They pushed themselves in their entrepreneurial pursuits as they did in exploration. Stockton Rush was a friend of The Explorers Club and conducted lectures at our headquarters.
While we did not know Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman personally, their desire to explore as a family would have led them to our doorstep at some point in their futures, where we would have welcomed them.
We’re heartbroken for the families, friends and colleagues of those who were lost. Their memories will be a blessing and will continue to inspire us in the name of science and exploration.
With our deepest condolences,
Richard Garriott de Cayeux
Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom, James Cleverly, tweeted: ‘Tragic news that those on the Titan submersible, including three British citizens, have been lost following an international search operation.
‘The UK government is closely supporting the families affected and expresses our deepest condolences.’
Titanic director James Cameron paid tribute to Paul-Henri Nargeolet, telling ABC News: ‘The legendary submersible dive pilot, he is a friend of mine. It is a very small community. I’ve known him for 25 years.
‘For him to have died tragically in this way is almost impossible for me to process.’
Director of Titanic Cameron paid tribute to his friend Nargeolet on ABC News, saying it was impossible for him to process
The Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom James Cleverly also paid tribute to the men on board
In a statement from OceanGate, the company said: ‘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 submersible had been missing since 9.45am on Sunday morning after being launched into the Atlantic at 8am.
A full scale rescue mission was launched to recover the missing sub and crew after it disappeared 400 miles southeast of Newfoundland, Canada, as oxygen supplies in the sub continued to dwindle.
Earlier today it was announced that, despite the frantic search to find the sub and crew, they had all perished during the descent to the wreck of the Titanic.
‘The implosion would have generated a significant, broadband sound that the sonar buoys would have picked up,’ explained Rear Admiral John Mauger of the US Coast Guard at a press conference today.
It would have been an instant death for the men, some of whom had paid $250,000 each to see the famous shipwreck.
In a gut-wrenching blow for their families, experts say there is little prospect of recovering any of their remains.
‘This is an incredibly unforgiving environment down there. The debris is consistent of a catastrophic implosion of the vessel.. we’ll continue to work and search the area down there – but I don’t have an answer for prospects at this time,’ Paul Hankin, a deep sea expert involved in the search, said.
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