A day before the missing OceanGate Expeditions submarine set course for a Titanic tour, billionaire passenger Hamish Harding sent a text informing his friend of bad weather.
Retired NASA astronaut Col. Terry Virts shared the final message he received from Harding with Good Morning Britain: “Hey, we’re headed out tomorrow, it looks good, the weather’s been bad so they’ve been waiting for this.” Although both were known for adventure – Harding holding three Guinness World Records, including longest duration spent at the bottom of the sea – Virts stated that they “don’t really talk about risks.”
British billionaire Hamish Harding is one of the passengers on board the missing Titanic submarine.
‘What was exciting for him about going in this submersible?’ @susannareid100 speaks to Hamish’s friend, Colonel Terry Virts who said they didn’t ‘speak about the risks.’ pic.twitter.com/ctYNuIHk6C
— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) June 20, 2023
Just before leaving, Hamish shared his excitement for the RMS Titanic Mission in an Instagram post. He was on board as a “mission specialist” according to the post. (RELATED: Advisor To Titanic Submersible Search Says US Government Ignoring His Calls)
Contact with the mission was lost after less than two hours into the dive. Hamish is joined by 4 others on board, including the director of underwater research for RMS Titanic Inc., the father and son of one of Pakistan’s wealthiest families, as well as the pilot according to the New York Times.
Hamish told Business Aviation Magazine in 2022 that the mission was originally scheduled for June of that year, but was delayed as “the submersible was unfortunately damaged on its previous dive.”
Capt. Jamie Frederick, with the First Coast Guard District Response Department, stated in a press conference that “search efforts have not yielded any results.” Former Titan passenger Per Wimmer shared, “it’s a race against time because there’s only 96 hours of oxygen on board. And after that, if you haven’t reached the surface, you starve of oxygen.”