British billionaire missing on Titanic submarine gave eerie warning in Instagram post before dive
A British billionaire who is feared to be on board the missing Titanic tourist submarine wrote a last post warning about temperamental weather conditions ahead of the mission.
Billionaire Hamish Harding, who has previously travelled on the Challenger Deep to the bottom of the ocean and on Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin into space, posted on Instagram on Sunday to announce he was joining OceanGate Expeditions for their Titanic mission.
That was the last time he posted before news broke that the submersible is missing somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean.
In his eerie last post before the mission, Mr Harding said it would be “the first and only manned mission to the Titanic in 2023”.
The British aviator said this was because of the “worst winter in Newfoundland in 40 years” but the opening of a “weather window” led to the mission attempting a dive on Monday.
He signed off by saying: “More expedition updates to follow IF the weather holds!”
The father-of-two has not been heard from since.
His stepson, Brian Szasz, confirmed his stepfather was on board the vessel when it went missing.
“Hamish Harding, my step father, has gone missing on submarine. Thoughts and prayers,” he wrote on Facebook, sharing family photos and articles.
“Thoughts and prayers for my Mom and Hamish Harding,” he added.
In a follow-up post, he added: “Thoughts and prayers for my stepfather Hamish Harding as his submarine has gone missing exploring Titanic. Search and rescue mission is underway.”
In a statement, a spokesperson for the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: “We are in contact with the family of a British man following reports of a missing submarine off the coast of North America.”
OceanGate Expeditions CEO Stockton Rush and renowned French underwater explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet are also feared to be among those onboard, according to Sky News.
