British expat from Dubai Hamish Harding among missing submersible crew near Titanic site

Dubai: A Dubai-based British expat is among the five people onboard a submersible that went missing on Monday while on a dive to examine the wreckage of the Titanic near Newfoundland, Canada.

The submersible reportedly went missing after failing to come up at its stipulated site late Sunday night. Canadian and US Coast Guard teams are said to be looking out for the sub to rescue the crew.

The Briton, Captain Hamish Harding, who is also a pilot and adventurer, holds three Guinness World Records, including the longest duration spent at Full Ocean Depth and also the longest distance traversed at Full Ocean Depth. He also led the One More Orbit mission, which achieved the record for the fastest circumnavigation of the Earth via both poles in a Gulfstream G650ER — with a time of 46 hours and 40 minutes.

Last year, Harding was part of a six-member crew on the fifth human flight for Blue Origin’s New Shepard programme. He carried a postcard to space for Blue Origin’s Foundation, Club for the Future. The foundation aimed at inspiring future generations to pursue careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics).

Back from the sub-orbital space flight, he had told Gulf News, “I have been to the depths of the ocean and out into the space and in a few weeks about to explore the wreck of the Titanic near Greenland. In all my endeavours, it is the UAE which has inspired me. Ever since I set up my home here 20 years ago, I have never ceased to be amazed by the spirit of adventure in this country, which is always striving to achieve the biggest, the fastest. Records in excellence in this country has always helped me push my boundaries.”

Captain Harding had said living in the UAE had helped nurture this spirit. “In the UAE, there are so many things to do. It is easily one of the greatest skydiving locations on earth, has some of the finest scuba diving sites on the east coast. People can go mountain climbing, sky diving, scuba diving, and achieve so many adventurous milestones here. The UAE has been a pioneer in the Space mission in the Middle East and can easily become the second launch site for sub-orbital flights for Blue Origin, after the Mexican desert,” he had said.