Titanic Submarine Captain’s Son Dreamed to Be a Pilot Like Dad

• A submersible en route to the Titanic's wreckage disappeared an hour and 45 minutes after its descent with five people onboard.
• Hamish Harding, a businessman and explorer, was on board the submersible. He had described himself as a mission specialist on the trip.
• Harding's family confirmed the explorer was on board the submersible and requested privacy, but tragically lost him in a "catastrophic implosion."

A submersible disappeared on June 18, 2023, en route to view the Titanic's wreckage; the world's most famous shipwreck ended with all five passengers dead.

According to authorities, the submersible, which was approximately the size of a minivan, was carrying five people when it lost contact with its mothership.

The small vessel was taking its passengers to explore the Titanic's wreckage and disappeared an hour and 45 minutes into its descent.

Those confirmed to be onboard were Shahzada Dawood, a Pakistani billionaire, his son Suleman Dawood, and Paul-Henri Nargeolet, a French diver.

Stockton Rush was the fourth person on the craft. He was the CEO and founder of Ocean Gate, the company leading the voyage of the submersible.

The fifth passenger was a British businessman and explorer, Hamish Harding. Harding, a well-known explorer, called himself on an Instagram post "a mission specialist" on the trip to the Titanic's wreckage.

The Titanic, a British passenger liner, had been called unsinkable but was holed by an iceberg on its maiden voyage in 1912. Its wreck wasn't found until the 1980s.

Harding has a close connection with his family, especially his 15-year-old son Giles, who wants to become a pilot like him.

Who Was Hamish Harding?

Harding was an aviator who had an airline transport pilot's license. He was the chairperson of Action Aviation, a private plane firm.

The 58-year-old, who had a license in business jet type rating, had a wife called Linda, two sons, Rory and Giles, as well as a stepdaughter, Lauren, and a stepson, Brian Szasz.

Harding, a skydiver, graduated from Cambridge with a degree in natural sciences and chemical engineering.

The trustee of the Explorers Club introduced the first regular business jet service to Antarctica when he previously worked with the Antarctic VIP tourism company. He has also been to the south pole severally.

The aviator was the latest holder of three Guinness World Records in recognition of his work as an explorer. In 2019, he was awarded for the fastest circumnavigation of the Earth through both poles.

In 2021, Harding led the mission to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. He met the same goal in 46 hours, 40 minutes, and 22 seconds.

That same year, Harding was awarded the greatest distance covered at full ocean depth and the greatest duration spent at full ocean depth.

The aviator and Victor Vescovo dove in a two-man submarine to the lowest point in all of the world's oceans and into the deepest point of the Mariana Trench, the Challenger Deep, a depth of about 36,000 ft.

Their two missions, which took 13 hours, were the longest time spent at full ocean depth, at 4 hours and 15 minutes, and the longest distance navigated at full ocean depth at 4.6 km.

On the weekend before Harding and four other people took the submersible to the Titanic's wreck, he shared the news that he would be joining "the sub going down to the Titanic." He added:

"Due to the worst winter in Newfoundland in 40 years, this mission is likely to be the first and only manned mission to the Titanic in 2023. A weather window has just opened up, and we are going to attempt a dive tomorrow."

Harding said that they would start the mission at around 4 a.m. He added that the team on the sub included legendary explorers who have done over 30 dives on the RMS Titanic since the 1980s, including PH Nargeolet.

Unfortunately, the mission did not go as planned, and soon after it started, the submersible lost contact with its mothership. After the submersible disappeared, the US Coast Guard confirmed that all five people aboard the submersible had died after the vessel suffered a "catastrophic implosion."

According to reports, five major parts of the vessel were found in the Titanic wreckage, including a tail cone but no signs of any human remains. OceanGate released a statement confirming the death of these five men, and sent out condolences to their families.

Now the next step is to investigate how the implosion happened, and the chairman of the Transportation Safety Board, Kathy Fox. said they were working hard to get everyone answers.

During the search, Harding's friend, Terry Virts, wrote, "There is still hope." He shared that there was still a chance those onboard would be found alive because the search team hadn't heard any catastrophic sounds on sonar or found any debris. He also said the five onboard had oxygen supplies to see them through Thursday, June 22, 2023.

Virts said he was praying for Harding and the rest of the submersible crew. He thanked the US Coast Guard, Navy, and Air Force, as well as the Canadian government, who worked tirelessly to find the missing vessel.

Harding had a close bond with his family, who asked for privacy as they navigated their loss. The family released a statement praising him for being a great father and husband. One of his sons explained his death would be mourned by his children and wife.

Harding's Family Was Waiting for Him at Home

Harding's company Action Aviation and his family released a joint statement that confirmed the aviator was in the "Titan submersible at the Titanic site."

They noted that they were grateful for the kind messages and support they received from friends and colleagues. They also thanked authorities and companies who were involved in the search:

"The team at Action Aviation are very proud of Hamish, and we look forward to welcoming him home. The Harding Family and Action Aviation politely request privacy at this time."

Harding had a close connection with his family, especially his 15-year-old son Giles, who wants to become a pilot like him. Harding and Giles used to go on explorations together.

The aviator included his family in his exploration successes. He once shared a picture with his son and wife after his achievement and noted how happy he was to share his success with his family.

The aviator also shared a picture with his son on one exploration and said in January 2020, Giles became the youngest person to reach the South Pole:

"How grateful I am to be exploring the world with you, @giles.explores, as father and son. Here's to all the discoveries we will make."

When Harding took a historic descent and traversed the bottom of the Mariana Trench's deepest point, he went with Giles. Giles was always looking forward to his and his father's adventures.

Father and son often took memorable and beautiful pictures during their adventures, and in one picture, Giles sat on the co-pilot's seat. Sometimes, Harding explored with his son and friend. In one adventure, the two were with Richard Garriott. Harding posted:

"With @richard_garriott and @giles.explores on the deck of DSSV Pressure Drop, ready for the dives to come."

Harding and Giles had amazing experiences during these explorations, where the son got to learn about his dream career. Harding shared:

"Throwback to playing sea captains with my son @giles.explores at the Challenger Deep. There are definitely more of you since our last expedition in February, so I thought I'd introduce myself. I am Hamish Harding, husband, father of 2, and avid explorer."

In one of Harding and Giles' visits to the south pole, his dad noticed the effect of climate change on the area and informed people online:

"…back in January, we noticed the signs of climate change, and they're becoming very apparent. 80% of the world's fresh water is in Antarctica. We could see some of the coastal ice shelves melt and collapse into the sea, that affects."

Harding also took his family on trips to learn about aviation. They visited the Living Legends of Aviation in Scalaria, which the aviator said was a great place for young people to get inspired by amazing aviation displays.

Harding's family waited for him to come home, the First District Response Coordinator, Captain Jamie Frederick, said the search crew was doing everything possible to effect a rescue, but it all ended tragically.

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