‘I miss them every day, every hour, every minute’: Devastated wife and mother of Titan sub victims Shahzada and Suleman Dawood says deaths ‘nearly broke me’ but is helped by outpouring of ‘love and support’ as she marks first anniversary of tragedy
A heartbroken mother who lost her husband and son on the Titan submarine has paid a moving tribute to them on the one-year anniversary of their deaths.
Christine Dawood’s businessman husband Shahzada, 48, and Rubik Cube fanatic Suleman, 19, were two of the five passengers who died during the Titanic expedition.
Billionaire Shahzada was a trustee at the SETI Institute, a nonprofit research organization, and had also worked with the Prince’s Trust.
She posted a photo of a lit candle on Facebook and wrote: “When people pass by, they take a piece of you with them.
“As the one-year anniversary approaches, I think back to a time that almost broke me, and yet the love and support I received was and is so great that I can’t help but feel grateful.
‘I miss them every day, every hour, every minute, they will never be replaced. With these candles I want to send their light to anyone who is open enough to receive it.
Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman (pictured) died while diving in the North Atlantic Ocean to view the wreck of the Titanic, off the coast of Newfoundland, in the Titan ship
Christine Dawood (pictured) said the deaths ‘nearly broke her’ a year later
After an hour and 45 minutes of diving in the North Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Newfoundland, the Titan lost communication with its support ship, the Polar Prince.
On Facebook, Ms Dawood said: ‘When people pass by, they take a piece of you with them’
“I want to thank everyone for their love and prayers. I felt them and they helped.
‘Light a candle for the missing people in your life and send their light into the world.’
Disaster struck on June 18 last year when the 6-metre ship lost contact with its mother ship after diving into the wreck of the Titanic, off the coast of Newfoundland.
Officials later announced that they believed the Titan had imploded when it went to a depth of 10,000 feet (3,000 meters) and a debris field was discovered.
Four months after the tragedy, in October, Coast Guard officials revealed that they had recovered human remains from the scene and that they had to be removed for analysis.
In addition to Shahzada and Suleman, others who died during the expedition included Hamish Harding, French explorer Paul-Henri Nargeole and Stockton Rush, CEO of Ocean Gate, the company that organized the trip.
In December 2023, Christine posted another tribute to her husband and son. Here is an image of himself in the sea.
She said, “Every time I touch the ocean, I feel them because they are part of it now.
‘When the waves caress my skin, it is as if their whisper of love is around me. Six months later I still can’t believe it.
‘I may look desperate, but my heart is not. I feel gratitude for the people around me, who walk next to me, who catch me when I stumble and who make me laugh even when I feel like crying.
“It’s been the most challenging year I’ve ever known, and yet I’m still standing.
Suleman Dawood was only 19 when he went on a trip with his father to see the Titanic
The father and son were among a group of tourists who dived to a depth of 12,500 feet to look at what remains of the passenger ship, after paying $250,000 each.
Debris from the Titan submarine recovered from the ocean floor near the wreck
‘Watching with my eyes closed. I feel with me a bleeding heart moving as my root deepens, flying with my torn wings, listening with the wind in my hair, so that one day I can love again with all that I am.”
Another post from last August read: “I can’t believe it’s been eight weeks already.
‘Eight weeks of waking up to an empty bed.
‘Eight weeks without hugging or kissing them. Eight weeks without hearing their laughs, jokes or even complaints (sic).
‘But there is no life without death, just as there is no light without darkness and shadows.
“Their lights shine brightly and while I feel like I’m in the darkness right now, I can feel their light, their warmth and their love in everything around me.
‘They are part of the circle of life now, and being in nature and seeing fruits and flowers growing reminds me that we all have to move on someday. Until I see you again.’
She also said Suleman had been an “incredible gift.” He attended Strathclyde University in Glasgow, studying business analytics and human resources, and was planning to work with his father in the family business when they boarded the Polar Prince to visit the wreck of the Titanic in the Titan submarine .
There were five people on board, including British billionaire adventurer Hamish Harding and Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son Suleman
French Navy veteran PH Nargeolet (left) was in the submarine with Stockton Rush (right), CEO of the OceanGate Expedition
Sidonie Nargeolet with her father Paul Henri-Nargeolet who died during the Titan sub-voyage
French explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, 77, was one of five people killed when a submarine imploded during a trip to the Titanic wreck a year ago
It comes after the grieving daughter of one of the victims of the Titan tragedy spoke out and said her father, known as ‘Mr Titanic’, died doing what he loved most.
French explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, 77, was one of five people killed when a submarine imploded during a trip to the Titanic wreck a year ago.
Ahead of the first birthday, his 40-year-old daughter Sidonie Nargeolet said he must have been “super happy” and that he had a “very good death.”
She told the Sunday Times that her father died doing his favorite activity and passed away ‘in good health and with his mind intact’.
When she last spoke to him when he arrived on the Polar Prince – the ship from which the submarine departed – he was “happy.”
But at 6am the next morning, she was told the Titan was missing and said she “cried for ten minutes.”