What to know about the five passengers on board the missing Titanic sub

The OceanGate CEO is married to a woman whose family were on the original Titanic

1 year ago

As the search for the missing Titanic sub turns critical, with oxygen due to run out any time this morning, thoughts have turned to the five passengers (Hamish Harding, Shahzada Dawood and Suleman Dawood, Paul-Henri Nargeolet and Stockton Rush) whose lives are threatened on board the vessel.

So, as the massive search continues to locate the Titan sub and the five people trapped on board, here is what we know about them:

Hamish Harding

Credit: Joe Marino/UPI/Shutterstock

British billionaire Hamish Harding is chairman of Action Aviation, which sells aircrafts to huge companies, heads of state and people in entertainment and sport industries. According to Business Aviation Magazine, he grew up in Hong Kong, qualified as a pilot in the ’80s while he was a student at Cambridge and set up Action Aviation after making his money in banking software.

The Titan excursion wasn’t Hamish’s first exploit as an adventurer. He hold the Guinness World Record for “fastest circumnavigation of Earth via both the geographic poles” by plane, which he achieved in just over 46 hours in 2019. He also flew to the edge of space with Jeff Bezos last year.

Shahzada Dawood and Suleman Dawood

Credit: Seti Institute

British businessman Shahzada Dawood is from one of the richest families in Pakistan and was travelling with his 19-year-old son, Suleman, on the Titan sub. He works as vice chairman of Dawood Hercules – a Pakistan based investment company – and lives with his wife Christine and daughter, Alina, in Surbiton, south-west London.

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Shahzada has royal connections due to his work with two charities founded by King Charles: the British Asian Trust and the Prince’s Trust International. When the Titan sub went missing, a Palace spokesperson said the King had asked to be kept fully up to date and his “thoughts and prayers are with all those onboard”.

Ahead of the Titan excursion, Shahzada had spoken at the United Nations and Oxford Union. He has a master’s degree in global textile marketing from Philadelphia University and a law degree from Buckingham University. Suleman, his son, is a science fiction fan and loves playing volleyball, according to the Dawood Hercles Group.

Paul-Henri Nargeolet

Credit: OceanGate

Paul-Henri Nargeolet is, according to the OceanGate website, a Titanic expert and has led six expeditions to the ship wreck. Additionally, he’s the director of underwater research for RMS Titanic, a US company that owns all of the salvaged parts of the Titanic and runs exhibitions with artefacts from the ship. He has been described by his colleagues as an “all round good guy”.

The 77-year-old has been nicknamed “Mr Titanic” because he’s reportedly spent more time at the wreck than any other explorer. He was part of the first ever expedition to go down to the Titanic in 1987, only two years after it was discovered. His family have said they hope his military background will reassure the rest of the crew.

Stockton Rush, CEO of OceanGate

Credit: OceanGate

Stockton Rush is the CEO of OceanGate, the company running the Titan expedition. He’s also the pilot of the trip to the Titanic wreck and has offered customers the chance to go down to the ruin since 2021 after starting the company in 2009.

When Stockton was 19, he became the youngest person ever to become a jet transport-rated pilot, according to his OceanGate biography. He studied aerospace engineering at Princeton University and has an MBA from Berkeley Haas School of Business.

Interestingly, Stockton’s wife is actually related to two people who were on board the Titanic when it sank. Wendy Rush, who works as the OceanGate communications director, is the great-great-great-grandchild of Isidor and Ida Straus, according to The New York Times. Her relatives were first-class passengers but refused to take a seat on a lifeboat before all women and children were safe.