Family of French Titanic expert pays heartfelt tribute to ‘one of the greatest deep-sea explorers’
‘Our hearts are broken’: Family of French Titanic expert pays heartfelt tribute to ‘one of the greatest deep-sea explorers’ in wake of Titanic Five deaths
- Paul-Henri Nargeolet, 77, was part of the first human expedition to visit the Titanic wreck, in 1987, and has visited it at least 35 times
- He was one of five people aboard the doomed OceanGate expedition that visited the wreck on Sunday
- The deaths of everyone on board were confirmed Thursday: Nargeolet’s family paid tribute to his life and legacy; his sense of humor and ‘his big heart’
The family of the French Titanic expert who died in the OceanGate disaster has paid tribute to life’s work, fondly remembering his sense of humor and “his big heart.”
It was confirmed on Thursday that Paul-Henri Nargeolet, 77, died in the tragedy, along with OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, 61; British billionaire explorer Hamish Harding, 58; and Pakistani father and son Shahzada Dawood, 48; and Suleman Dawood, 19.
Nargeolet – commonly known as PH – was part of the first human expedition to visit the Titanic wreck in 1987 and had visited the site at least 35 times.
Nargeolet’s family was joined by relatives of the other four, all of whom praised their curiosity and adventurous spirit.
The Nargeolet family said: ‘Our hearts are broken by the loss of our extraordinary father and husband.
βHe is a man who will be remembered as one of the greatest deep-sea explorers in modern history. When you think of the Titanic and everything we know about the ship today, you think of Paul-Henri Nargeolet and his legendary work.
But what we will remember him for most is his big heart, his incredible sense of humor and how much he loved his family. We will miss him today and every day for the rest of our lives.β
The family of French naval veteran PH Nargeolet on Thursday paid tribute to the 77-year-old’s ‘legendary work’
The Nargeolet family also thanked everyone involved in the search and rescue efforts.
Nargeolet, who was born in the French Alps, in the ski resort of Chamonix, was married to former New York newscaster Michele Marsh. She died of breast cancer in 2017 at the age of 63.
From 1964 to 1986, he held various positions in the French Navy, notably as a commander, sub-pilot, ship’s captain, freediver and deep-sea diver.
He retired from the Navy and joined the French Institute for Research and Exploitation of the Sea (IFREMER) which was in charge of the deep submersibles Nautile and Cyana.
At IFREMER he led the first recovery expedition to the Titanic in 1987.
Nargeolet moved to the US and became involved in the research of the Titanic, supervising the recovery of 5,000 artifacts – including the recovery of the 20-ton section of the Titanic’s hull, now on display in Las Vegas .
He lived in Kent, Connecticut for a long time before moving to Dutchess County in New York.
Nargeolet is survived by a wife and three children, plus his stepson, John Paschall.