On June 18, an OceanGate submersible used for underwater tourism, imploded as it headed down to the ruins of the Titanic. Five individuals were on board, including father and son Shahzada and Suleman Dawood. Christine Dawood, wife of Shahzada and mother of Suleman, has recently broken her silence and shared her experience waiting for news while readying herself for heartbreak.
Christine had been on board Titan’s mothership, Polar Prince with her 17-year-old daughter Alina when news came that they lost communication with Titan shortly after its descent that Sunday morning. It is reported that the vessel suffered a “catastrophic implosion” 1,600 feet from the Titanic, killing everyone onboard instantly. For Christine, hope – while the search for answers continued – was something to be measured with caution.
Christine Dawood discusses the ordeal of waiting for news about the Titan and her two family members
Hope was a double-edged sword for Christine after communications were lost 1 hour and 45 minutes into its scheduled dive. After Titan failed to surface at its scheduled time later that day, authorities were alerted and a search began. Initially, news outlets reported that the primary concern, making this a time-sensitive issue, was the oxygen supply.
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However, Christine admits she “lost hope when we passed the 96 hours mark,” adding, “That’s when I sent the message to my family onshore, I said: ‘I am preparing for the worst.'” In an interview with BBC, she said tearfully, “I miss them. I really, really miss them.”
Families grieving
Dawood further revealed that she was supposed to join her husband, British-Pakistani multimillionaire Shahzada, on the Titan to visit the wreckage of the Titanic. However, their original trip plans ended up being canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When the opportunity arose again, she “stepped back” to allow her 19-year-old son to go instead, “because he really wanted to go.”
“I was really happy for them because both of them, they really wanted to do that for a very long time,” she said. Subsequent reporting says Suleman’s aunt claims he was “terrified” about making the trip but did so because the journey fell on Father’s Day weekend.
Suleman also loved solving Rubik’s Cubes and had brought his own with him into the submersible. “He said: ‘I’m going to solve the Rubik’s Cube 3,700 meters below sea at the Titanic,” explained Christine, which would have also meant he broke a world record. In his honor, Christine and Alina plan on learning how to solve the puzzle boxes themselves.
The other victims of the Titan implosion are OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, 61, French navy diver and experienced Titanic diver Paul-Henry Nargeolet, 77, and British businessman Hamish Harding, 58. May they rest in peace.
Titanic sub-victim Suleman Dawood solves a Rubik's Cube in under 20 seconds#Pakistan #Titanic #Titan #SulemanDawood #Cube #Rubik pic.twitter.com/hdo9hUM8LH
— The Pakistan Daily (@ThePakDaily) June 26, 2023