Global Courant
The sons of the late British businessman and adventurer Hamish Harding remembered their father as a “loving” man with a “larger-than-life presence.”
Harding, the billionaire founder of Action Aviation, a UAE-based international aviation brokerage, was one of five crew members who perished aboard the OceanGate Expedition’s Titan submarine on a fateful journey to see the wreckage of the Titanic. He and the others died when the submarine suffered a “catastrophic implosion” shortly after the craft descended into the Titanic, the US Coast Guard said.
Action Aviation has released statements on social media from Harding’s sons honoring their father.
MISSING SUBMARINE TITANIC FOUND, CREW KILLED IN DEEP SEA CATASTROPHE, SAYS COAST GUARD
Hamish Harding poses for a photo during the RMS Titanic Expedition Mission 5 on Sunday, June 18, 2023. The British billionaire was remembered by his sons as a “loving father” and inspirational adventurer. (@actionaviation/Twitter)
“My father was a tenacious, hard-working businessman, but most of all, he was the best father I could have ever wished for,” said one son. “He inspired me more than anyone will ever know, taught me things I will never forget, and he meant everything to me. Anyone who has ever met my father will praise his humorous personality, pure work ethic, and constant generosity. My life will be a success if I am only half the man he is. My father is gone, but I will never forget him.”
The other son praised his father as an “eager adventurer, a loving father, a family man, and a determined and tireless businessman.”
CANADA OPENS INVESTIGATION OF DEADLY OCEANGATE JOURNEY TO TITANIC RUINS
Inset, from left: Suleman Dawood, Shahzada Dawood, Stockton Rush; Paul-Henry Nargeolet and Hamish Harding are aboard the submarine OceanGate Titan. (Engro Corp. | Reuters/Shannon Stapleton | @OceanGateExped/Twitter | Felix Kunze/Blue Origin via AP | Ocean Gate/Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
“In all these areas he constantly tried to be the best man he could be and did nothing halfway. Constantly full of wisdom and life advice to give, he made my brother and me into the people we are today. He was an energetic and charismatic man who through the sheer weight of his personality lifted and supported everyone around him.His tragic loss will be mourned not only by me and my family, but by everyone who had the pleasure of meeting him.The world is so much less without his larger than life presence and his optimistic spirit.”
Harding was one of five crew members aboard the Titan submarine when it lost contact with its surface craft, the Polar Prince, about an hour and 45 minutes after its dive on Sunday morning, about 900 miles east of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and about 400 miles southeast of St John’s, Newfoundland, Canada.
CREW KILLED IN ‘CATASTROPHIC IMPLOSION’: TIMELINE OF MISSION TO FIND OCEANGATE’S MISSING TITANIC SUBMARINE
An undated photo shows a tourist submarine belonging to OceanGate sea descents. US Coast Guard search and rescue operations in Boston discovered a debris field identified as the remains of the Titan submarine, which imploded after a catastrophic loss of pressure. (Ocean Gate / Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
The other passengers were OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, father and son Shahzada and Suleman Dawood, who are members of one of Pakistan’s wealthiest families; and Paul-Henry Nargeolet, a former French naval officer and leading Titanic expert.
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The submarine’s disappearance sparked an international search and rescue effort that lasted for days before authorities found the submarine’s remains using a robotic vehicle.
“The debris is consistent with the catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber. Following this determination, we immediately notified the families,” U.S. Coast Guard Vice Admiral John Mauger told reporters Thursday. “On behalf of the United States Coast Guard and the entire United Command, I extend my deepest condolences to the families.”
Fox News’ Micahel Ruiz and Bradford Betz contributed to this report.
Chris Pandolfo is a writer for Fox News Digital. Send tips to [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @ChrisCPandolfo.
