Titan submersible victim honoured with plaque at Titanic wreck site

A plaque has been laid at the Titanic wreck site in honour of Titan submersible victim Paul-Henri Nargeolet.

Nargeolet lost his life last June 2023 when the “experimental” submersible lost contact with the surface less than two hours into its mission down to the world’s most famous shipwreck site.

Nargeolet, 77, was serving as a guide on the “Titanic tourist sub” which charged paying “citizen explorers” $250,000 a head to see the wreck.

He is credited with the recovery of artefacts from the site with RMS Titanic Inc, who are currently obtaining the most detailed 3D imagery ever obtained of the site.

Announcing the placement of the plaque on Twitter/X, RMS Titanic Inc, where Nargeolet served as the Director of Underwater Research, wrote: “At the heart of #TITANICExpedition2024 is our beloved colleague and friend PH Nargeolet.

“His memory has been etched into the DNA of this Expedition from the start. PH was intended to be on board, but his life was tragically cut short last summer.

“It has become a custom to place a plaque at the Titanic to honour the memories of those who perished in the wreck.

“Now, there is a plaque to honour the memory of Mr Titanic himself, PH Nargeolet. It was laid to remember him as a pioneer in Titanic research and ocean exploration.”

Following the disaster, Titanic director James Cameron, who was a close friend of Nargeolet, admitted that he was surprised he was on the submersible, but acknowledged that he was not an engineer.

Nargeolet had previously visited the wreck 37 times.

Mr Titanic, as he was also known, lost his life alongside OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, 61, British billionaire explorer Hamish Harding, 58, Pakistani billionaire Shahzada Dawood, 48; and his son Suleman Dawood, 19.

While the official investigation into the disaster has yet to be completed, experts have speculated that it was a result of the vessel’s carbon fibre hull.

It is believed that it slowly weakened over time and eventually gave way to the immense pressure that exists at Titanic’s depth – around 12,500 feet or two and a half miles below the surface of the North Atlantic Ocean.

RMS Titanic Inc confirmed to The Independent that it is not using manned submersibles on this summer’s dive to the wreck.

Alongside obtaining the most detailed images and map of the wreck site ever recorded, the ongoing expedition aims to identify objects for future recovery to preserve the story of the sinking for future generations.