Titanic: Who is missing British billionaire Hamish Harding? Who else was on board the submersible Titan?

Rescue teams are continuing the search for submersible Titan, which went missing during a voyage to the Titanic shipwreck with British billionaire Hamish Harding among the five people aboard

A major search and rescue operation is running to find the missing submersible Titan after the submersible exploring the wreck of the Titanic went missing on Sunday.

British billionaire Hamish Harding was one of five passengers on board, with crew also on board the vessel.

But who is Mr Harding and who are the other missing passengers?

The OceanGate Expeditions submersible vessel named Titan used to visit the wreckage site of the Titanic. Picture: American Photo Archive/Alamy/PA Wire

How is missing British billionaire Hamish Harding?

Missing British billionaire Hamish Harding is an adventurer who has been to space, taken Buzz Aldrin to the South Pole and holds three Guinness World Records.

The 58-year-old chairman of private plane firm Action Aviation was inducted into the Living Legends of Aviation in 2022 where he was honoured for being an “enthusiastic pilot” and “experienced skydiver”.

He lives in Dubai with his wife Linda and two sons Rory and Giles, according to the awards body. Mr Harding has a stepdaughter named Lauren and a stepson named Brian Szasz, the Guardian reported.

The newspaper also said that Harding has a natural sciences and chemical engineering degree from the University of Cambridge.

He holds three Guinness World Records – fastest circumnavigation of the Earth via both poles by plane, greatest distance covered at full ocean depth and the greatest duration spent at full ocean depth.

In 2019, Harding led a team of pilots and astronauts to achieve the first record in 46 hours, 40 minutes and 22 seconds. This was to mark the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, according to the Living Legends of Aviation.

But Mr Harding has made more than one trip to the South Pole. The awards body said that in 2016 he accompanied Mr Aldrin, who became the oldest person to reach the South Pole aged 86, and took his son Giles in 2020, who became the youngest person to reach the South Pole aged 12.

In 2021, Mr Harding dived in a two-man submarine mission lasting 36 hours to the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench with American explorer Victor Vescovo, breaking records by traversing the deepest part of the ocean for four hours and 15 minutes and travelling 4.6 kilometres along the sea floor.

In a post on Facebook to mark the five-month anniversary of the dive, Mr Harding said: “Can’t believe it’s been that long already but absolutely can’t wait for our next mission/journey/adventure!”

In June 2022, Harding flew to space as part of the fifth human space flight run by Jeff Bezos’s company Blue Origin.

Who else is on board missing submersible Titan?

Only the identities of three of the five passengers on board have so far been revealed.

Other than Mr Harding, Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood are also on the missing submersible.

A statement from the Dawood Family, obtained by CNN said: “As of now, contact has been lost with their submersible craft and there is limited information available.

“We are very grateful for the concern being shown by our colleagues and friends and would like to request everyone to pray for their safety while granting the family privacy at this time. The family is well looked after and are praying to Allah for the safe return of their family members.”

Mr Dawood Snr is a UK-based board member of the Prince's Trust charity. He is also the vice-chairman of Engro Corporation, which makes fertilisers, food and energy, as well as the Dawood Hercules Corporation, which makes chemicals.

It has been reported both of the Pakistani nationals live in Surrey. Mr Dawood Snr was born in Pakistan, and his family are among the richest in his home country.