Special passenger aboard the submarine: this is “Monsieur Titanic” Putin’s Satan missiles would soon be ready for battle

He’s already fallen 30 times. That is how Paul-Henri Nargeolet called the place at a sea depth of no less than 3,800 meters where the wreck of the ocean liner Titanic, which sank in 1912, is located. The French scientist had investigated numerous shipwrecks and plane wrecks in his long career. But he was especially taken with the Titanic.

On Sunday, the 77-year-old submarine specialist, together with three paying passengers and the captain, started a new reconnaissance mission. Nargeolet is by far the most experienced participant, which is also reflected in his nickname “Monsieur Titanic”. The submarine professional from the mountain town of Chamonix had served 22 years in the underwater service of the French Navy. He later worked for the renowned French marine institute Ifremer.

He did diving assignments in the Antilles and the China Sea; in the Atlantic Ocean he tracked down the black box of the Air France plane that crashed between Rio and Paris, and off the Irish coast he investigated the wreck of the RMS Carpathia, which had fished up several hundred Titanic passengers in 1912 before it was sunk years later by a German submarine. boat has sunk.

“In very deep water you are dead before you realize something has happened”

In 1987, Nargeolet took over the Titanic research at Ifremer. The authorities granted him the rare right to retrieve objects from the legendary steamer. 5000 objects, from metal plates to gold jewelry, were brought to the surface of the sea. But Nargeolet was most interested in the Titanic. “It’s a very nice wreck, there are only a few of this quality and size,” he said in an interview years ago.

“It is covered with bacteria that wrap around it like a coat and give it a special aspect. It is a mythical wreck and when you first visit it you will be blown away.” Nargeolet’s (in French) published book “In the Depths of the Titanic” reads like a declaration of love to what is probably the most famous wreck in maritime history .

The submarine expert, who describes his press agent as calm and good-natured, was well aware of the dangers of his profession. In 2019, he once stated, “If you move in very deep water, you’ll be dead before you realize anything has happened.” He took the risk when he was at the wreck of the Titanic.

The current dive is officially commanded by American Stockton Rush, founder and owner of the OceanGate company, which has been offering trips to the Titanic for $250,000 since 2021. But Nargeolets, who knows the huge wreck of the Titanic in great detail, was certainly there not only as a scientific advisor, but also as a problem solver and also as a local confidante. This puts speculations that the 6.5-meter submarine Titan could have become entangled in wreckage into perspective. Companions of Nargeolets were more surprised on Wednesday that the submarine had no official approvals. (aargauerzeitung.ch)