Titanic submarine victim Suleman Dawood, 19, brought his Rubik’s cube and a camera onboard, his devastated mum says
THE YOUNGEST victim in the Titanic submarine tragedy had hoped to break a world record with his Rubik’s Cube, and his dad brought along a camera to shoot the moment.
Suleman Dawood, 19, tragically died alongside his dad Shahzada and three others in the Titanic submarine after it imploded catastrophically.
His mum Christine Dawood said her son had hoped to solve the Rubik’s Cube while on the expedition to the famous shipwreck.
The mum told BBC: “He said, ‘I’m going to solve the Rubik’s Cube 3,700 meters below sea at the Titanic.”
Christine and her daughter Alina were onboard the Polar Prince ship, which launched the submersible.
She continued: “I was really happy for them because both of them, they really wanted to do that for a very long time.”
Suleman went onboard the sub on Father’s Day with his dad Shahzada, who Christine said had a “childlike excitement” about the adventure.
Suleman’s aunt claimed the university student was terrified before boarding the sub earlier this week.
Azmeh Dawood, the older sister of Mr Dawood, said her nephew “wasn’t very up for it” and felt “terrified”.
She added he had felt compelled to please his dad, who was passionate about the Titanic which sunk on April 14, 1912.
Speaking from her home in Amsterdam, she told NBC News: “I am thinking of Suleman, who is 19, in there, just perhaps gasping for breath… It’s been crippling, to be honest.”
Azmeh added: “I feel disbelief. It’s an unreal situation.”
The US Coast Guard has launched an investigation into the causes behind the disaster which claimed five lives.
Chief investigator Captain Jason Neubauer said they hope to recover debris from the sub, and will “take precautions” in case human remains are found.
He said: “We conduct disciplined operations with warranted risk to put our resources and lives at risk to save others. That’s who we are.”
US Coast Guard spokesman Rear Admiral John Mauger said the debris found following the submersible’s disappearance was “consistent with the catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber”.
He added: “Upon this determination, we immediately notified the families.
“On behalf of the United States Coast Guard and the entire unified command, I offer my deepest condolences to the families. I can only imagine what this has been like for them.
“And I hope that this discovery provides some solace during this difficult time.”
Those onboard would have been killed instantly by the implosion, according to experts.
Following the pair’s untimely death, Christine said she and her daughter hope to solve the Rubik’s Cube in honour of Suleman.
The mourning mum said: “Is there such a thing as closure? I don’t know.”
“I miss them,” she said, taking a deep breath. “I really, really miss them.”
The others who lost their lives were British billionaire Hamish Harding, OceanGate boss Stockton Rush and French Navy veteran Paul-Henri Nargeolet.