12 July 2023 , 15:30
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Hamish Harding captured four last photos and posted them on his social media accounts just before boarding the Titan submersible, along with some doubts about actually going down in the submersible.
Titan was supposed to visit the ruins of the Titanic ship several times this year, but weather conditions made the trips impossible. In Harding's last post, the weather and waves were still a concern for the British billionaire and the rest of the crew - but Oceangate's CEO decided last minute they were not in any immediate danger.
"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," wrote Harding in his final post.
One of the last photos posted by Hamish Harding - a white flag on which all the crew members signed their names before dying aboard the Titan submersible (Instagram)According to the New York Times, all of the individuals aboard the submersible showed a certain excitement for the trip after being convinced of its safety by CEO Stockton Rush.
At 58, Harding was the chairman of Action Aviation and had previously undertaken trips like this before - with Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin rocket company, and to the South Pole with astronaut Buzz Aldrin.
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His last post stated that he was excited, being prepped for the journey and that the entire group was put on alert for 'weather concerns' before they left.
“I am proud to finally announce that I joined @oceangateexped for their RMS TITANIC Mission as a mission specialist on the sub going down to the Titanic,” Harding posted on his Facebook and Instagram.
“Until then we have a lot of preparations and briefings to do. More expedition updates to follow IF the weather holds!”
These were Harding's last words to the public before setting off on the doomed expedition.
The photos included one of the submersible and another one of a small white flag on which the other passengers had written their names before going down into the depths of the Atlantic.
He also posted the last known photo of himself - donning his thinning hair, rugby-style jacket, blue jeans and trainers as he sat cross-legged at a desk.
Hamish Harding pictured here with friend Jannicke Mikkelsen in the weeks before the doomed submersible trip (Facebook)The billionaire seemed to be convinced that the expedition would be safe, as he assured his followers that "The team on the sub has a couple of legendary explorers, some of which have done over 30 dives to the RMS Titanic since the 1980s, including PH Nargeolet."
We know now that neither expertise or good weather would save the crew, as the actual construction of the submersible has come under fire in the weeks since the undersea implosion. In the latest report, it has been revealed that of the 90 attempts to reach the depth of the Titanic wreck, the Titan only managed to succeed 13 times, which adds up to a success rate of about 14%.
Hamish Harding, Shahzada Dawood and his teenage son Suleman, plus French explorer Paul-Henri Nargeole, Stockton Rush, the CEO of OceanGate, all died when the sub imploded within the first few hours of their June trip.