FRENCH submersible pilot Paul-Henry Nargeolet went missing on June 18, 2023.
The 73-year-old is feared to be one of five passengers and crew members aboard an OceanGate submarine that went missing from an expedition to the Titanic's wreckage that never returned on Sunday evening.
Who is Paul-Henry Nargeolet?
Paul-Henry Nargeolet was born in Chamonix, France, although he spent 13 years of his life growing up in Africa with his family. It was at the age of 16 that he returned to Paris to complete his education.
For over 20 years, he served in the French Navy. He later joined the French Institute for Research and Exploitation of the Sea (IFREMER), where, according to his E/M Group bio: he "led the first recovery expedition to the Titanic in 1987."
Nargeolet currently serves as the Director of Underwater Research for E/M Group and RMS Titanic, Inc.
When did Paul-Henry Nargeolet go missing?
OceanGate Expeditions sent out a submersible to explore the Titanic wreckage located 900 nautical miles east of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, on June 18, 2023.
However, when the vessel did not return, it prompted a search by the Coast Guard for the missing research submarine.
It is reported that Nargeolet was one of five passengers and crew members aboard the vessel sent out to sea on Sunday.
Nargeolet, along with Stockton Rush, the CEO and founder of OceanGate Inc., and Hamish Harding, the CEO of Action Aviation in Dubai, are all feared missing, according to Sky News.
What did Paul-Henry Nargeolet say about submarines?
Nargeolet previously spoke frankly of the extreme dangers of deep-sea exploration in an interview.
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He said: “If you are 11m or 11km down, if something bad happens, the result is the same.
“When you’re in very deep water, you’re dead before you realise that something is happening, so it’s just not a problem.”
Nargeolet's fears might have been predicted by Harding when he warned social media followers about poor weather conditions before their trip began on Sunday.
The British billionaire took to Facebook to write: "Due to the worst winter in Newfoundland in 40 years, this mission is likely to be the first and only manned mission to the Titanic in 2023.
"A weather window has just opened up and we are going to attempt a dive tomorrow. We started steaming from St. Johns, Newfoundland, Canada yesterday and are planning to start dive operations around 4am tomorrow morning.
He added: "More expedition updates to follow IF the weather holds!"
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