Who Is On The Missing Submarine
On board a small submarine that vanished in the Atlantic Ocean, a renowned Titanic specialist, a world-record holder in adventure, two members of one of Pakistan's wealthiest families, and the CEO of the business leading an expedition to the world's most famous shipwreck are in grave peril.
According to Canada's Joint Rescue Coordination Centre, the submersible Titan was reported missing Sunday night about 435 miles (700 kilometres) south of St. John's, Newfoundland, sparking a desperate multinational rescue attempt. Rescuers had to act quickly because the oxygen supply might run out by Thursday morning at around 6 a.m.
During the search for the Titan, a Canadian aircraft heard sounds under the ocean. Early on Wednesday, the U.S. Coast Guard announced via Twitter that search activities had been shifted in response to noises picked up by the Canadian P-3 patrol plane, and that data was being used to help direct the ongoing operation.
OceanGate, on its third trip to the Titanic, which struck an iceberg and sank in 1912, killing all but around 700 of the roughly 2,200 passengers and crew, was in charge of the expedition that included the Titan.
On the Titan, there is a pilot and four other passengers.
STOCKTON RUSH
According to the company website, Rush launched OceanGate Inc. in 2009 to offer crewed submersibles for undersea researchers and explorers despite his experience in aerospace and technology. According to business spokesperson Andrew Von Kerens, Rush is the Titan's pilot.
In 2021, a Washington-based private firm began taking visitors to the Titanic as part of its mission to document the ship's progressive decomposition.
Rush told The Associated Press in 2021, "The ocean is taking this thing, and we need to document it before it all disappears or becomes unrecognisable."
Rush defended the safety of his submersible in an interview with CBS News last year, but he acknowledged that there are risks in everything.
Overhangs, fish nets, and entanglement hazards are what worry him the most about being unable to reach the surface, he said, adding that a skilled pilot can avoid such dangers.
In 1981, at the age of 19, Rush earned his jet transport rating, and according to his business biography, he flew commercial aircraft while in college. In 1984, he started working for the McDonnell Douglas Corp. as a flight test engineer. He has directed the growth of several fruitful IP enterprises over the past 20 years.
Rush's friend and veteran ocean scientist Greg Stone referred to him as "a real pioneer" in the development of submersibles.
"Stockton took chances. He was wise. He was someone who wanted to move things along, had a vision, and was," Stone said on Tuesday.
HAMISH HARDING
Harding is a British businessman who resides in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Harding was identified as one of the mission specialists who paid to travel on the trip by Action Aviation, the aircraft brokering business for which he serves as chairman.A millionaire explorer, Harding is the holder of three Guinness World Records, including the crewed vessel's longest stay at full depth in the ocean. Together with oceanographer Victor Vescovo, he descended into the Mariana Trench's deepest point in March 2021. He launched into space aboard the New Shepard rocket from Blue Origin in June 2022.
Action Aviation issued a statement saying, "Both the Harding family and the team at Action Aviation are very grateful for all the kind messages of concern and support from our friends and colleagues."
In a Facebook post Saturday, Harding said he was “proud” to be part of the mission.
He wrote, "This mission is likely to be the first and only manned mission to the Titanic in 2023 due to the worst winter in Newfoundland in 40 years." We're going to do a dive on Sunday because a weather window just opened up.
According to Richard Garriott de Cayeux, the leader of the organisation to which Harding belonged, The Explorers Club, Harding was "looking forward to conducting research" at the Titanic site.
He issued a statement in which he expressed the "fervent hope" that the submersible would be discovered as soon as possible.
SHAHZADA AND SULEMAN DAWOOD
Shahzada and Suleman Dawood, father and son, are from one of Pakistan's most illustrious families. They were both on board the ship, according to a statement from their family.
The message said, "We are incredibly appreciative of the concern being expressed by our coworkers and friends and would want to beg everyone to pray for their safety while affording the family privacy at this time. "The family is well cared for, and they pray to Allah for the return of their loved ones without incident.
Their Karachi-based company, Dawood Hercules Corp., is active in petrochemicals, telecommunication infrastructure, and agriculture.
Shahzada Dawood is a trustee on the board of the SETI Institute in California, which looks for extraterrestrial intelligence. According to SETI, the Dawoods reside in the UK.
Shahzada Dawood is also a member of the Prince's Trust International's Global Advisory Board, which was established by King Charles III of Britain to fight young unemployment.
He holds degrees from Philadelphia University (now Thomas Jefferson University) in the United States and the University of Buckingham in the United Kingdom.
PAUL-HENRY NARGEOLET
After making numerous visits to the debris over the course of several decades, Nargeolet, a former lieutenant in the French navy, is regarded as a Titanic specialist.
Nargeolet was on board, according to David Gallo, a senior adviser for strategic initiatives and special projects of RMS Titanic, in an interview with CNN.
According to his company profile, he is the director of underwater research for E/M Group and RMS Titanic Inc. He has made 37 dives to the wreck and oversaw the recovery of 5,000 artefacts.
He served as expedition leader on the Titanic's most cutting-edge dive in 2010, which included high-resolution sonar and 3D optical imagery on the ship's bow and stern as well as the debris field.
He oversaw the first Titanic rescue expedition in 1987 while working for the French Institute for Research and Exploitation of Sea.
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