The final photo taken of a father and son moments before their doomed dive aboard the Titan submersible has been released by their grieving family.
Pakistani billionaire Shahzada Dawood, 48, and his 19-year-old son Suleman are pictured arm in arm and appear excited to board the sub, which suffered a “catastrophic implosion” less than two hours into a dive to the Titanic wreckage killing all five crew on board.
The beaming pair wear matching hi-vis orange jackets, vests, gloves and helmets in the photo, which was reportedly shot from the Polar Prince support ship shortly before the 18 June dive.
In a touching separate photo released by family, Shahzada and Suleman are seen sharing a hug before their ill-fated deep-sea voyage.
Christine Dawood, Shahzada’s widow, told the New York Times that she and her 17-year-old daughter Alina were on board the support ship when the Titan departed for the famous shipwreck. The $250,000-per-ticket trip had been a Father’s Day celebration, she said.
She said she gave up her seat on the voyage so that her Rubik’s Cube-obsessed son Suleman could try to break the Guiness World Record by solving it 3,700m below the sea.
Shahzada and Suleman Dawood smile in the final photo taken before their doomed dive on board the Titan submersible— (Sourced)
Shahzada was “like a vibrating toddler” ahead of the dive, she told the Times.
The crew members were given a thorough safety briefing ahead before setting off, she added.
“It was like a well-oiled operation — you could see they had done this before many times.”
When the Titan lost contact with its support crew less than two hours into the descent, Christina Dawood said OceanGate Expeditions staff reassured her that communications problems were quite common.
She said she was told the vessel would abort its dive and bob back to the surface if the disruption lasted more than an hour.
“I was also looking out on the ocean, in case I could maybe see them surfacing,” she told the Times.
Shahzada Dawood, 48, and 19-year-old son Suleman share a tender hug before their doomed deep sea trip on the Titan submersible— (Sourced)
Ms Dawood said she took comfort that her husband and son had likely spent their final moments listening to their favorite music in total darkness while looking out at bioluminescent creatures.
All five on board the sub, including OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, British billionaire Hamish Harding and French explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet were confirmed to have died when the sub imploded about one hour and 45 minutes into into its descent near the Titanic wreckage.
The US Coast Guard last week recovered “presumed human remains” and large parts of the sub’s hull from the search zone.
