Jun. 19, 23

Dear Fellow Explorers,

I have difficult news to share.

Hamish Harding, a founding member of the Board of Trustees of The Explorers Club, was on the expedition to the RMS Titanic, approximately 900 miles east of Cape Cod. He was part of a five person crew on the submersible of the Canadian research vessel Polar Prince.

The five person crew submerged Sunday morning, and the crew of the Polar Prince lost contact with them approximately one hour and 45 minutes into the vessel’s dive.

The U.S. Coast Guard announced today that it is continuing its intensive search above and below the surface, deploying assets from the U.S., Canada, and commercial partners in an attempt to locate the submersible. That search continues at this moment.

When I saw Hamish last week at the Global Exploration Summit, his excitement about this expedition was palpable. I know he was looking forward to conducting research at the site.

We all join in the fervent hope that the submersible is located as quickly as possible and the crew is safe.

Hopeful regards,

Richard Garriott de Cayeux
President, The Explorers Club