Who is Hamish Harding: It is believed that a 59-year-old British business magnate is aboard the missing submarine being searched in the Atlantic Ocean after it lost contact while investigating the Titanic’s wreckage.
Hamish Harding, who studied Natural Sciences and Chemical Engineering at Cambridge University and possesses an Airline Transport Pilots Licence, acquired notoriety as a space tourist on a Blue Origin flight.
BBC reported that Harding holds the Guinness World Record for circumnavigating the globe via the North and South Poles.
In June of last year, Harding, who is currently the chairman of Action Aviation, a Dubai-based business aviation company, announced his intention to join the crew exploring the Titanic wreck.
Sunday, approximately 700 kilometres south of St. John’s, Newfoundland, the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia, reported an overdue vessel.
OceanGate Expeditions verified the search for its five-person submersible and emphasised the safety of the crew and their families.
The company thanked the government agencies and deep-sea companies for their assistance and reaffirmed its commitment to the crewmembers’ safe return.
Sunday morning, according to OceanGate advisor David Concannon, contact with the submersible was lost.
He mentioned that the submersible had a 96-hour supply of oxygen and that efforts were ongoing to deploy a remotely operated vehicle capable of reaching a depth of 6,000 metres (20,000 feet) to the site.
Action Aviation confirmed that the company’s chairman, Hamish Harding, was among the passengers.
CNN reported that the US Coast Guard is searching for five persons aboard a missing submersible near the Titanic wreckage. It added that the US Coast Guard is “using all available resources” to locate a submersible near the Titanic wreckage.
The company’s managing director, Mark Butler, expressed optimism for a successful rescue mission and stated that adequate survival equipment was on board.
The expedition’s objective was to document the Titanic’s deterioration; this was OceanGate’s third annual trip to the iconic ocean liner’s wreckage. The group of travellers who financed the expedition paid substantial fees to participate.
The journey was scheduled to begin in St. John’s, Newfoundland, at the beginning of May and terminate at the end of June. OceanGate commissioned the Canadian ship Polar Prince to convey personnel and the submersible to the North Atlantic wreck site.
The Titan submersible was constructed of titanium and filament woven carbon fibre and was able to dive to depths of 4,000 metres (13,120 feet) with a comfortable safety margin.
OceanGate highlighted its ability to withstand the rigours of the deep ocean and its large viewport, which provided an unrivalled view.
Chris Parry, a retired rear admiral of the United States Navy, characterised the rescue operation as difficult due to the undulating seafloor, debris, and the Titanic’s location in a trench.
