One of the five victims of the “catastrophic implosion” of the Titanic sub, Suleman Dawood, carried his Rubik’s Cube with him in an attempt to set a world record, according to his mother, who spoke to the BBC.
Shahzada Dawood, a billionaire from Pakistan, who died in the tragic incident, was the father of the 19-year-old. He had submitted an application to Guinness World Records informing them of his intended attempt. According to the BBC, the teenager’s father even came along with a camera to record the occasion. However, Mrs. Dawood later discovered they were never able to escape.
When Christine Dawood learned that contact had been lost, she and her daughter were aboard Polar Prince, the submersible’s support vessel. Less than two hours after making the dive to the Titanic’s wreckage, which sank in 1912, the submersible Titan vanished.
“I didn’t comprehend at that moment what it meant – and then it just went downhill from there,” Ms Dawood told the BBC.
She also said that she had initially planned to go to see the Titanic’s wreck but the trip was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
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“Then I stepped back and gave them space to set Suleman up because he really wanted to go,” Ms. Dawood added.
As Shahzada Dawood’s son took Rubik’s Cube on the Titanic sub to break the world record, there were three more people aboard the submersible.
They were Paul-Henry Nargeolet, a well-known explorer and former diver in the French Navy, and Stockton Rush, the CEO of OceanGate, the company that owned the Titan.
Talking about her son’s love for Rubik’s Cube, Ms. Dawood said he carried it everywhere. “He said ‘I’m going to solve the Rubik’s Cube 3,700 metres below the sea at the Titanic’,” she told the outlet.
Ms. Dawood said she was “very happy” because the father-son duo wanted to go on the expedition for a very long time.
“I think I lost hope when we passed the 96 hours mark,” she said, recalling the tragedy.
The woman said she and her daughter will try to learn to finish the Rubik’s Cube in Suleman’s honor, and that she will continue her husband’s work.
“I miss them. I really, really miss them,” said Ms Dawood.
Suleman’s aunt had earlier told NBC News that the teen was terrified of the risky expedition but joined it because his father, who is fascinated by the Titanic, thought it was important.
