'He meant everything to me': Sons of Dubai-based billionaire who died in Titan sub tragedy pay father heartfelt tribute

Dubai-based British explorer Captain Hamish Harding was the “best father” one “could have asked for”, one of his sons has said. In a statement released by Harding’s company, Action Aviation, his two sons have paid touching tributes to the businessman, who was among five men who died after a Titanic expedition submersible suffered a catastrophic implosion.

Harding had two sons, Rory and Giles, both of whom were not named in the statement released on Monday.

"My dad was a tenacious, hard-working businessman … He inspired me more than anyone will ever know, taught me things I'll never forget, and he meant everything to me. Anyone who ever met my dad will praise his humorous personality, his sheer work ethic, and his constant generosity. My life will be a success if I'm even half the man he [was].

“My dad is gone but I will never forget him,” one of his sons said.

His other son called Harding an “avid adventurer, a loving father, family man and a determined and tireless businessman”.

“In all of these areas, he constantly sought to be the best man he could be and did nothing half-way. Constantly full of wisdom and life advice to bestow, he made my brother and I into the people we are today. He was an energetic and charismatic man who by the sheer weight of his personality lifted up and supported everyone around him. His tragic loss will be mourned not only by myself and my family but everyone who had the pleasure to meet him.

“The world is so much less without his larger-than-life presence and his optimistic spirit."

In an earlier statement, his family had remembered Harding as a "loving husband to his wife and a dedicated father to his two sons, whom he loved deeply".

A UAE expat for 15 years, Harding was an accomplished aviator who had been to the depths of space and the ocean.

His expeditions include a record-breaking circumnavigation of the world and a flight to space with Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket as a commercial astronaut (NS-21 Mission). He had travelled on a submersible to the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench — the deepest point on earth — and been to the South Pole a number of times.

Harding was honoured with the Living Legends of Aviation award in 2022.

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