Titan Submarine Passengers Confirmed Dead and Named “True Explorers”

Stockton Rush and Hamish Harding are remembered by their families, friends, and colleagues.

Five people are believed to have died instantly in the Titan submersible's "catastrophic collapse" during the Titanic dive.

After days of aerial and undersea searches, a robotic dive vehicle from a Canadian vessel discovered on Thursday a debris field of the submersible Titan, located 1,600 feet (488 meters) from Titanic's bow.

Coast Guard officials reported that five major pieces of the Titan, measuring 22 feet (6.7 metres), were found in the debris left by its disintegration. These included the tail cone of the vessel and two sections from the pressure hull. "The debris field here is consistent with a catastrophic implosion of the vehicle," said Rear Admiral John Mauger from the US Coast Guard.

The Titan, owned by OceanGate Expeditions of the US, has been missing ever since Sunday morning, when it lost contact with the surface support vessel. This was about one hour and 45 minutes after the dive, which should have lasted two hours, to the most famous wreck in the world.

The White House stated that the families of the five men have endured "a harrowing ordeal" in the last week.

"Our hearts go out to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives on the Titan," it mentioned in a statement. "They have been through a harrowing ordeal over the past few days, and we are keeping them in our thoughts and prayers."

In a statement, the US Coast Guard thanked Canadian, British and French partners for their assistance in search and rescue efforts.

OceanGate, which operated the Titan, and whose CEO Stockton Rush is also among the dead passengers, described them as "true explorers who shared a distinct spirit of adventure and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the world's oceans". The company added: "We grieve the loss of life and joy they brought to everyone they knew."

After hearing of the death of British adventurer Hamish harding, his family remembered him as a "dedicated dad" who had been "a guide and an inspiration" in addition to being "a living legend".

The family of the 58 year old explorer stated in a statement: "He was a one-of-a-kind explorer and we adored Him." He was an explorer who loved to explore, no matter what the terrain. He lived for his family, for his business and the next adventure.

"What he achieved in his lifetime was truly remarkable and if we can take any small consolation from this tragedy, it's that we lost him doing what he loved."

Harding's death left "a gap in our lives that cannot be filled" and they said that "they were united in grief" along with the other families who died.

"We know that Hamish would have been immensely proud to see how nations, experts, industry colleagues and friends came together for the search and we extend our heartfelt thanks for all their efforts."

James Cleverly (UK Foreign Secretary) described the latest update as "tragic" news and said that the UK Government is closely supporting British families who are affected.

The family of Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood, and his son Suleman (19 years old), announced their deaths with "profound grief" and mentioned that they were "truly grateful" to those who were involved in the rescue effort. Hussain Dawood and Kulsum Dawood's statement said that their untiring efforts had been a source of strength. "The immense love and support we receive continues to help us to endure this unimaginable loss."

They said that details of their final rites will be announced shortly.

Pakistan's Foreign Ministry, government officials, and friends expressed their condolences. TV stations stopped their normal broadcasts in order to inform viewers about Dawood's son, the vice-chairman of Engro Corporation, the largest conglomerate in Pakistan. Salman Sufi tweeted, "Very sad and unfortunate news. Prayers for the families of the deceased. Mr. Dawood and his family are in our prayers."

Engro Corporation issued a statement in which it said: "With heavy heart and great sorrow, we mourn the loss of Shahzada Dawood and his beloved child, Suleman Dawood.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the Dawood family at this tragic time. We extend our heartfelt condolences to the family, colleagues, friends and all those around the world who grieve this unthinkable loss."

Ziauddin Yousafzai tweeted: "May the souls of Shahzada Dawood and Suleman Dawood rest in peace. Ameen. Our deepest sympathies go out to the entire Dawood family and their loved ones during this extremely tragic & trying time."

According to NBC News, Suleman the 19-year-old university student was "terrified". However, he decided to go on the trip because it took place during the US Father's Day Weekend.

RMS Titanic mourned Paul-Henri Nargeolet's death, a longtime employee. The company released a statement saying that "The maritime world has lost an iconic and inspirational leader in deep-sea exploration, and we have lost a dear and treasured friend."

According to his company profile, the former French Navy officer was considered an expert on Titanic after completing 37 dives at the wreckage and supervising 5,000 artifacts.

Matthew Tulloch, a friend and former co-worker of Nargeolet's, said that Nargeolet has loved his work since the first time they worked together in the 1990s. Tulloch laughed and said, "I never got the impression that he was looking forward to retirement. You sort of think of people as they retire, then they can go on and do things that they love to do. This was exactly that for him - I can't think of anything that I'm aware of that he would enjoy doing more than traveling around and sharing information and his experiences with people."

Larry Daley, a friend of Daley's, told the BBC that the news was "heart-wrenching". Daley stated that he was hopeful up until a few hours before the news broke. Nargeolet had "lost his life in a place he so loved - exploring the Titanic". Human nature dictates that we must always keep exploring.

Richard Garriott de Cayeux said that he was "heartbroken". Nargeolet, Harding's co-founder, was also a member of the Explorers Club. He said that Harding had "continued to push dragons off maps" and that both men were "drawn to explore... in the name of meaningful science".

Source: theguardian.com