The Explorer’s Club president has paid tribute to members Hamish Harding and Paul-Henri Nargeolet after the Titanic Five’s deaths were confirmed.
OceanGate, the company behind the expedition, said all five died during the adventure after the submarine’s landing frame and tailgate were discovered.
Since then, tributes have poured in from all over the world to commemorate 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, who said the men were “drawn to explore” for the “betterment of mankind.”
Garriott wrote, “Our hearts are broken. I am so sorry to share this tragic news.
French Navy veteran PH Nargeolet (left) sat on the submarine with Stockton Rush (right), CEO of the OceanGate Expedition
There were five people on board, including British billionaire adventurer Hamish Harding (left) and Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman, who was just 19.
The five men were aboard the OceanGate Titan, pictured here, trying to see the Titanic’s wreckage when it imploded
Richard Garriott said the men were ‘drawn to explore’ for the ‘improvement 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, 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 the map, both personally and by supporting expeditions and charities.
‘Paul-Henri was elected a member of the Club in 2001 and was one of the foremost experts in underwater 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 humanity.
“While we didn’t 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 future, where we would have welcomed them.
“Their memories will be a blessing and will continue to inspire us in the name of science and research.”
In addition to Nargeolet and Harding, one of Pakistan’s richest men, Shahzada Dawood, was on board alongside his son Suleman and OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush.
Garriott said the club was ‘heartbroken for the families, friends and colleagues of those who were lost’
UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly tweeted: “Tragic news that those aboard the submarine Titan, including three British citizens, have been lost following an international search operation.
“The UK Government is very supportive of the affected families and extends our deepest condolences.”
Titanic director James Cameron paid tribute to Paul-Henry Nargeolet, telling ABC News: “The legendary submarine pilot, he’s a friend of mine. It’s a very small community. I’ve known him for 25 years.
“It’s hard for me to come to terms with the fact that he died tragically this way.”
Titanic director Cameron paid tribute to his friend Nargeolet on ABC News, saying it was impossible for him to handle
The United Kingdom’s Foreign Secretary James Cleverly also paid tribute to the men on board
In a statement released by OceanGate, the company said: ‘We now believe 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 family at this tragic time. We grieve for the loss of life and joy they brought to everyone they knew.”
The submarine has been missing since 9:45 a.m. Sunday after launching into the Atlantic Ocean at 8:00 a.m.
A large-scale rescue mission had been launched to recover the missing submarine and crew after it disappeared 400 miles southeast of Newfoundland, Canada, as the submarine’s oxygen supplies continued to dwindle.
It was announced earlier today that despite the frantic search to find the submarine and crew, all had perished during the descent to the wreckage of the Titanic.
“The implosion would have produced significant broadband noise that the sonar buoys would have picked up,” US Coast Guard Vice Admiral John Mauger said at a news conference today.
It would have been instant death for the men, some of whom paid $250,000 each to see the famous shipwreck.
In a heartbreaking blow to their families, experts say there is little chance of recovering any of their remains.
“This is an incredibly brutal environment down there. The debris is consistent with a catastrophic implosion of the ship. We will continue to work and search the area down there – but I don’t have an answer to the outlook at this point,” said Paul Hankin, a deep-sea expert involved in the quest said.