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Hamish Harding

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For the Australian rower, see Hamish Harding (rower).
Hamish Harding
File:Hamish-Harding.png
Harding in 2021[1]
Born
George Hamish Livingston Harding

(1964-06-24)24 June 1964
London, England
Diedc. 18 June 2023(2023-06-18) (aged 58)
North Atlantic Ocean
Cause of deathImplosion of Titan submersible
EducationPembroke College, Cambridge (BA, MA)[2]
Occupations
  • Businessman
  • aviator
  • explorer
Known forCrew pilot for the record-breaking flight mission One More Orbit
SpouseLinda Harding[3]
Children2[3]

George Hamish Livingston Harding (24 June 1964 – c. 18 June 2023) was a British businessman, pilot, explorer and space tourist based in the United Arab Emirates. He was the founder of Action Group and was chairman of Action Aviation, an international aircraft brokerage company with headquarters in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.[1][4][5][6]

On 9–11 July 2019, Harding was mission director and crew pilot for the flight mission One More Orbit, which set a world speed record for the fastest circumnavigation of Earth by aircraft over both geographic poles.[5][7][8]

Harding was one of the five people inside a submersible that went missing in the North Atlantic while en route to view the wreckage of the Titanic on 18 June 2023, which had later been found to have imploded, killing all on board.[9]

Background

George Hamish Livingston Harding was born in Hammersmith, London, in 1964.[10] He was educated at The King's School,[11] an independent day school in the city of Gloucester in South West England, followed by Pembroke College, Cambridge.[12][13]

Biography

In 2017, Harding worked with Antarctic VIP tourism company, White Desert, to introduce the first regular business jet service to the Antarctic using a Gulfstream G550, landing on Wolfs Fang Runway, an ice runway. Harding also visited the South Pole several times, accompanying Buzz Aldrin in 2016 as he became the oldest person to reach the South Pole (age 86).[14]

On 9–11 July 2019, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing, Harding, along with Terry Virts, led a team of aviators that took the Guinness World Record for a circumnavigation of the Earth via North and South Poles in a Gulfstream G650ER in 46 hours 40 minutes.[15][16] The One More Orbit mission launched and landed at the Shuttle Landing Facility (Space Florida) at NASA Kennedy Space Center, US. Harding was the mission director and led a team of over 100.

On 5 March 2021, Harding and Victor Vescovo dived to the deepest point of the Mariana Trench, the Challenger Deep at a depth of 36,000 feet (11,000 m), in a two-person submarine, setting the records for greatest length covered and greatest time spent at full ocean depth.[17][18][19][8]

Harding flew to space as part of the suborbital Blue Origin NS-21 mission, on 4 June 2022, on the fifth spaceflight of the New Shepard rocket.[20][21][22][23][24]

In September 2022, Harding's aviation company Action Aviation supplied a customised Boeing 747-400 aircraft to transport eight wild cheetahs from Namibia to India to launch the reintroduction of the cheetah to India project of the Indian Government and the Cheetah Conservation Fund in Namibia (CCF). Cheetahs have been extinct in India since independence in 1947.[25] This conservation project was designated a "flagged expedition" by the Explorers Club with club members Harding and Laurie Marker, founder of the CCF, carrying the flag on the flight to India.[26][27]

Titan expedition and death

Main article: 2023 Titan submersible incident

Harding was onboard the Titan, a vessel owned by OceanGate, Inc., to view the Titanic wreckage, when the vessel lost contact with the above-water ship, MV Polar Prince, on 18 June.[28] Search-and-rescue missions involved water and air support from the United States, Canada and France.[29]

On 22 June, after the discovery of a debris field approximately 1,600 feet from the bow of the Titanic,[30] OceanGate said it believed Harding and the four others aboard had "sadly been lost."[31] A United States Coast Guard press conference later confirmed that the debris lined up with a catastrophic loss of the pressure hull, resulting in the probable death of all on board.[30]

Awards and recognition

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "British explorer Hamish Harding on his journey to the deepest point on earth". The Week. Archived from the original on 5 May 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  2. ^ "Blue Origin launches NS-21 suborbital flight with six passengers". 4 June 2022. Archived from the original on 28 September 2022. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  3. ^ a b "Who is missing British billionaire Hamish Harding?". The Independent. 20 June 2023. Archived from the original on 20 June 2023. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  4. ^ "Longest duration at full ocean depth by a crewed vessel". Guinness World Records. 5 March 2021. Archived from the original on 5 May 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  5. ^ a b Haziq, Saman. "Hamish Harding on his journey to the Earth's deepest point and back". Khaleej Times. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  6. ^ "OceanGate says it believes individuals on missing sub "have sadly been lost"". CNN. 22 June 2023. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  7. ^ Lynch, Kerry. "Tight Bizjet Inventory Creating Need for Urgency, Caution". Aviation International News. Archived from the original on 13 April 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  8. ^ a b "StackPath". www.aviationpros.com. 15 July 2019. Archived from the original on 29 May 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  9. ^ Hamish Harding, Shahzada Dawood and son Suleman: Who is on board Titanic sub? Archived 19 June 2023 at the Wayback Machine, BBC
  10. ^ Williams, Alex (22 June 2023). "Hamish Harding, an Explorer Who Knew No Bounds Until He Found One, Dies at 58". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  11. ^ William Morgan (20 June 2023). "Former Gloucester schoolboy missing on Titanic submarine". Gloucestershire Live. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  12. ^ "A statement on Hamish Harding (1983)". Pembroke College, Cambridge. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  13. ^ "Blue Origin launches NS-21 suborbital flight with six passengers". 4 June 2022. Archived from the original on 28 September 2022. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  14. ^ Hamish Harding: the British explorer missing at sea near the Titanic Archived 19 June 2023 at the Wayback Machine, The Guardian
  15. ^ "Watch: UAE adventurer in space on Blue Origin flight". Khaleej Times. Archived from the original on 27 June 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  16. ^ Nasir, Sarwat (31 May 2022). "UAE adventurer raring to reach the edge of space on Blue Origin rocket". The National. Archived from the original on 27 June 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  17. ^ "Video: Dubai resident Hamish Harding explores ocean's deepest point 'Challenger Deep' in record-breaking attempt". gulftoday.ae. Archived from the original on 5 March 2021. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  18. ^ "Video: Dubai resident Hamish Harding to dive to ocean's deepest point to study marine life, impact of pollution". www.gulftoday.ae. Archived from the original on 5 May 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  19. ^ "Earth's tallest mountain, Mauna Kea, ascended for the first time". Guinness World Records. 29 December 2021. Archived from the original on 5 May 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  20. ^ "NS-21 to Fly Six Customer Astronauts, Including First Mexican-Born Woman to Visit Space". Blue Origin. Archived from the original on 9 May 2022. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  21. ^ Nasir, Sarwat (13 June 2022). "Flat-Earthers should get a first-class ticket for Blue Origin, says UAE space tourist". The National. Archived from the original on 28 June 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
  22. ^ Sircar, Nandini. "UAE: Meet the expat preparing to take off on Blue Origin's spaceflight". Khaleej Times. Archived from the original on 28 June 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
  23. ^ Abdulla, Nasreen; Times, Khaleej. "UAE space tourist talks about his amazing 10-minute trip". www.zawya.com. Archived from the original on 28 June 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
  24. ^ "First person to complete the "Explorers' Extreme Trifecta" (Male)". 4 June 2022. Archived from the original on 27 July 2022. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  25. ^ "8 cheetahs arrive to India from Namibia as part of reintroduction project". 17 September 2022. Archived from the original on 28 September 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  26. ^ "Rescued female, 2 brothers among 8 Cheetahs coming to India | Know details". 16 September 2022. Archived from the original on 16 September 2022. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
  27. ^ "In Jumbo Jet, 8 Wild Cheetahs from Namibia are Coming to India for Historic Translocation". MSN. Archived from the original on 16 September 2022. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
  28. ^ "What we know about the passengers on board missing Titanic submersible". Sky News. 19 June 2023. Archived from the original on 19 June 2023. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  29. ^ Henley, Jon (21 June 2023). "Titanic sub live updates: vessel may have less than 20 hours of oxygen left, says US Coast Guard, as search continues". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  30. ^ a b Chao-Fong, Léonie (22 June 2023). "Titan sub: crew have died after catastrophic loss of pressure chamber, US Coast Guard confirms – latest updates". The Guardian.
  31. ^ Regan, Helen; Renton, Adam; Picheta, Rob; Sangal, Aditi; Hammond, Elise; Meyer, Matt (22 June 2023). "Missing Titanic sub crew believed to be dead, tour company says". CNN. Archived from the original on 22 June 2023. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  32. ^ "Morgan Freeman Presents Aviation Oscars at Scalaria". 27 August 2022. Archived from the original on 1 September 2022. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  33. ^ "At Lake Wolfgang: Oscar winner Morgan Freeman honored the Salzkammergut - Celebrity Gossip News". 28 August 2022. Archived from the original on 1 September 2022. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  34. ^ "Why details of the cheetahs coming to India are crucial for success of the introduction programme". India Today. Archived from the original on 28 September 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  35. ^ "In Jumbo Jet, 8 Wild Cheetahs from Namibia are Coming to India for Historic Translocation". News18. 14 September 2022. Archived from the original on 22 March 2023. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  36. ^ "Club Officials". The Explorers Club. Archived from the original on 2 April 2023. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
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