A friend of Hamish Harding, one of the people missing onboard a Titanic expedition vessel, told CNN Tuesday that the explorer is “larger than life.”
“Hamish is larger than life. He lives exploration. He is an explorer to the core of his soul. He has been to the bottom of planet earth in the Mariana Trench…he’s even been in space. We circumnavigated the planet together…the north and south pole, and set the world speed record,” Jannicke Mikkelsen, a fellow explorer, said.
Mikkelsen said Harding would be “calm and collected” in an emergency and that his experience would have prepared him for any difficulties.
“He will work through the emergency procedures together with the crew. He is also an experienced submersible pilot …so he will be a valuable asset to the crew and helping motivate the crew as well if morale is low,” Mikkelsen said.
Mikkelsen said the vessel Harding is on is “a self-rescue vessel” with seven systems of unloading weight so it can ascend to the surface by itself if necessary.
“The only way it couldn’t do that is if it was trapped — for instance, in the wreck of the Titanic or maybe as something as simple as a fishing net,” Mikkelsen said.
“My biggest concern is that Hamish and the rest of the crew aboard…are trapped in a metal can at the bottom of the ocean where the atmospheric pressure is 400 times that of here at ground level. There is no way we could possibly have a manned rescue at that sort of depth. My fear is that they cannot self-rescue and appear to the surface by themselves,” Mikkelsen said.
Action Aviation, the company owned by Harding, said Tuesday that both they and Harding’s family are “very grateful for all the kind messages of concern and support from our friends and colleagues,” according to a press release from the company.
“We are thankful for the continued efforts of the authorities and companies that have stepped in to aid in the rescue efforts. We put great faith and trust in their expertise,” Action Aviation said. “The team at Action Aviation are extremely proud of Hamish and we look forward to welcoming him home.”