Titanic sub search: Who are Londoners Shahzada, Suleman Dawood and Hamish Harding on the Titan?

Three Londoners are among the five-person crew on board the submersible that went missing while exploring the wreck of the Titanic on Sunday (June 18).

The 21-ft Titan, from the Canadian research vessel Polar Prince, was reported missing by the US Coast Guard after diving to view the wreckage of the cruise ship.

Located about 900 miles east of Cape Cod, the Coast Guard said the submersible was expected to resurface at around 3pm, having been launched at 8am Sunday morning.

However, an hour and 45 minutes into the dive, the Titan lost contact with the Polar Prince, with a search ongoing to find the lost sub.

According to reports, it is equipped with a four-day emergency oxygen supply, about 40 hours of which is left.

The US Coast Guard has since confirmed it has heard “underwater noises” as the search operation continues.

The five people on board include the founder of the OceanGate Expedition firm running the tourist trips, Stockton Rush, and Paul-Henry Nargeolet, a French Titanic expert.

Also on board were three Londoners. Here’s what we know about them.

Hamish Harding

A record-breaking adventurer and founding member of the Explorer’s Club, Dubai-based millionaire Hamish Harding was born in Hammersmith in 1964.

According to the Daily Mail, he has degrees in natural sciences and chemical engineering from Cambridge University, and holds three Guinness World Records, including the longest time spent at the Mariana Trench, the deepest place on earth.

The owner of private plane firm Action Aviation, Mr Harding wrote on Facebook on June 17 that he was joining the OceanGate Expedition as a “mission specialist”, and that it would “likely be the first and only manned mission to the Titanic in 2023”.

“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. We started steaming from St John’s, Newfoundland, Canada yesterday and are planning to start dive operations around 4am tomorrow morning. Until then we have a lot of preparations and briefings to do,” he wrote.

Mr Harding’s stepson Brian Szasz, said on Facebook: “Thoughts and prayers for my stepfather Hamish Harding as his submarine has gone missing exploring Titanic. Search and rescue mission is underway.”

Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood

Surbiton-based Shahzada Dawood is from a prominent and wealthy Pakistani family. His father, Hussain, runs Dawood Hercules Corporation, a company investing in agriculture, industries and the health sector.

In addition to working with the family business, Shahzada is also the vice-chairman of Pakistani conglomerate Engro Corporation, a fertiliser business, and is on the board of the SETO Institute, a US-based organisation which searches for extra-terrestrial life.

According to his profile on the Engro Corporation website, he holds an MSc in global textile marketing from Philadelphia University, and studied law at Buckingham University in the UK.

Shahzada reportedly lives in west London with his wife, Christina, and their children, Alina and Suleman, the latter of whom was also aboard the Titan.

Following the disappearance of the submersible, the Dawood family released a statement saying: “Our son Shahzada Dawood and his son, Suleman, had embarked on a journey to visit the remnants of the Titanic in the Atlantic Ocean. Contact has been lost with their submersible craft and there is limited information available.

“We are very grateful for the concern being shown by our colleagues and friends and would like to request everyone to pray for their safety while granting the family privacy at this time.

“The family is well looked after and are praying to Allah for the safe return of their family members.”