The five passengers onboard the ill-fated Titan submersible spent their last moments in complete darkness, listening to music, while watching the mesmerizing bioluminescent creatures in the depths, according to the wife of one of the victims. And then they all died without even realizing as the Titanic submarine suffered a "catastrophic implosion."
The dive to explore the Titanic wreckage commenced at 8:00 am on June 18. Unfortunately, contact with the submersible was lost one hour and forty-five minutes later at 9:45 am. Heartbreaking revelations emerged about the final moments of the passengers' lives, as the wife and mother of Shahzada and Suleman Dawood, a father-son duo who were on board, shared their story with the New York Times.
Gone Smiling and Without Realizing
The family's deep fascination with the century-old Titanic wreckage began in 2012 when they visited a Titanic exhibit in Singapore, and their journey to explore it became a culmination of their obsession.
According to a New York Post report, the Dawood family's fascination with the Titanic continued to grow following their trip to Greenland in 2019.
During their visit, they developed a keen interest in glaciers that transformed into icebergs, which reminded them of the same perilous ocean hazard that led to the sinking of the Titanic in 1912.
Christine said that she came across an advertisement from OceanGate offering journeys to the Titanic wreckage.
She was supposed to join her billionaire husband on the trip, but due to pandemic-related delays that affected their initial plans, their 19-year-old son took her place instead. Over time, their son had reached the appropriate age to participate in the expedition.
Christina revealed that her husband and son narrowly avoided participating in the ill-fated Father's Day trip, which would have taken them more than 13,000 feet beneath the ocean's surface.
Their plans were initially disrupted when their flight to St. John's, Newfoundland, where the mother ship was departing from, was canceled and their subsequent flight was also delayed, further adding to the complications.
"We were actually quite worried, like, 'Oh, my god, what if they cancel that flight as well?'" Christine told the Times.
"In hindsight, obviously, I wish they did."
Despite the challenges, the family managed to reach the Polar Prince on time.
On June 18, Christine and her 17-year-old daughter, Alina, were present on board to witness Shahzada, Suleman, and three other individuals—OceanGate founder and CEO Stockton Rush (61), famous Titanic explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet (77), and British billionaire Hamish Harding (58)—enter the 22-foot submersible and disappear into the depths of the Atlantic Ocean.
Happy Before the Expedition
Even though they had to stay in tight quarters with bunk beds on the Polar Prince, eat meals from trays, and endure lengthy 12-hour meetings in the days preceding the voyage, Christine, who was grieving the loss of her husband and son, revealed that they were incredibly enthusiastic about the trip.
OceanGate had marketed the experience as an opportunity for tourists to become "explorers, adventurers, and citizen scientists," and this notion had greatly excited Shahzada and Suleman.
"He was like a vibrating toddler," Christine told the Times of her son's excitement just before he set off on the sub.
According to Christine, her husband had a deep desire to experience the same kind of adventures as Nargeolet, a renowned diver with extensive experience exploring the Titanic. Nargeolet shared a story with the family about being trapped in a submarine for three days, which further fueled her husband's fascination and aspiration for such daring expeditions.
"'Oh, my god, this is so cool,'" she recalled her husband saying. "He was lapping everything up. He had this big glow on his face talking about all this nerdy stuff."
However, the hefty substantial amount the family had paid for their experience on board the Polar Prince in the days leading up to the departure was far from luxurious.
Christine explained that they had to make do with bunk beds in cramped rooms and eat buffet-style meals served on trays. Additionally, their schedule was filled with consecutive meetings lasting from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
However, there were occasional opportunities for passengers to watch the popular film "Titanic," directed by James Cameron, as part of the entertainment provided on board.
Christine revealed that the majority of the meetings focused on educating the passengers about the ill-fated submersible and its safety measures.
However, she also admitted that some of the information shared during those sessions went over everyone's heads, implying that it was difficult to grasp or fully comprehend certain aspects of the discussions.
"That engineering side, we just had no idea," she said. "I mean, you sit in a plane without knowing how the engine works."
Christine is not the only one expressing confusion regarding the workings of the Titan sub. Bill Price, who had the opportunity to board the sub in 2021, disclosed that his trip had to be canceled due to a malfunction in the sub's propulsion system, specifically on one side.
This incident further highlights the challenges and technical issues encountered with the Titan submersible.
Recent information reveals that the U.S. Navy recorded the sound of an implosion at the location where the submersible was lost. Five days later, debris from the submersible was discovered on the seabed, approximately 1,600 feet away from the site of the Titanic wreckage.
Christine revealed that the passengers were cautioned about the possibility of condensation pools forming on the floor of the submersible, so they were advised to avoid getting their feet wet.
Additionally, they were informed that the sub's lights would be turned off to conserve battery power until they reached the Titanic, but they could still witness the mesmerizing bioluminescent sea creatures in the surrounding area.
The passengers were also encouraged to upload their favorite songs onto the sub's music player since the trip could last up to four hours.
However, Stockton Rush specifically requested that no country songs be loaded onto the music player, indicating a personal preference or perhaps to maintain a certain ambiance during the expedition.
