Hamish Harding, a UK businessman and chairman of Action Aviation, is one of five people who disappeared in the Atlantic Ocean while on a tourist submersible to see the Titanic wreck. He is also a famous adventurer who holds three Guinness World Records, such as the longest duration at full ocean depth by a crewed vessel. He dived to the deepest point of the Mariana Trench with ocean explorer Victor Vescovo in March 2021. He also flew to space on Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket in June 2022. He collaborated with the Indian government to bring eight wild cheetahs from Namibia to India in September 2020. He flew on one of his aircraft from Namibia to Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh, where the cheetahs were relocated.
His Role In Relocating Cheetahs
Harding is an aircraft company chairman and a renowned adventurer who has set three world records and travelled to space. He was part of a mission to relocate cheetahs from Namibia to India in September 2020. He flew on a Boeing 747-400 from Namibia to Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh, where the cheetahs were introduced.
He said in a Facebook video before taking off from Namibia that he was very excited about the project and the aircraft. He called it an amazing project and an amazing aircraft that could fly direct from southern Africa to India. His company Action Aviation sourced the jet that flew those eight Namibian Cheetahs to India.
His Facebook said, “The Boeing 747 “Jumbo Jet” aircraft that is taking the eight cheetahs to India is a B747-400 passenger jet. The jet cabin has been modified to allow cages to be secured in the main cabin of the aircraft but will still allow vets to have full access to the cats during the flight. The aircraft is an ultra-long range jet capable of flying up to 16 hours and so can fly directly from Namibia to India without a refueling stop, an important consideration for the well-being of the cheetahs.”
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His Latest Adventure To The Titanic Wreck
Harding’s trip to the Titanic wreck was his latest adventure. He has been to the South Pole several times, flown into space in 2022 on Blue Origin’s fifth human-crewed flight, and set three world records – including the longest time spent at full ocean depth during a dive to the deepest part of the Mariana Trench.
He announced on social media over the weekend that he was on a ship that left St John’s, Newfoundland, Canada, for the Titanic wreck site. He said he was proud to announce that he would be on a mission to the wreck of the Titanic. He said it was likely to be the first and only manned mission to the Titanic in 2023 due to the worst winter in Newfoundland in 40 years. He said they had a weather window and they were going to attempt a dive on Sunday morning at around 04:00 local time.
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Action Aviation said on Sunday that Harding was diving and the sub had a successful launch. Later, his stepson Brian Szasz deleted a post on Facebook that said Harding had gone missing on the submarine.
Patrick Woodhead, the founder of British tour operator White Desert Antarctica, said Harding was an incredible aviation explorer and a great advocate for making the world a better place. He said Harding had travelled with them to Antarctica several times, including with US astronaut Buzz Aldrin.
A spokesperson from the UK’s Foreign Office said they were in contact with the family of a British man following reports of a missing submarine off the coast of North America.
The Titanic, which sank in April 1912, is about 700km south of St John’s, Newfoundland, Canada. The rescue mission for the missing sub is being run from Boston in Massachusetts and the US Coast Guard said a research ship called the ‘Polar Prince’ had conducted a surface search for the sub on Monday evening. It is used to transport submersibles to the wreck site and was the support ship on Sunday’s tourist expedition.
