Paul-Henri Nargeolet

Paul-Henri Nargeolet (; 2 March 1946 – 18 June 2023) was a French deep sea explorer and Titanic expert. Known as "Mr. Titanic", Nargeolet was one of five people who died aboard the submersible Titan when it imploded on 18 June 2023 near the wreck of the Titanic.

Early life Nargeolet was born on 2 March 1946 in Chamonix in the French department of Haute-Savoie. before relocating to Paris to complete his studies at the age of 16.

Career French Navy

Nargeolet began his career in the French Navy, where he served as an officer specialising in mine clearance, diving, and deep underwater intervention During the 1970s, he was appointed Commander of the Groupement de Plongeurs Démineurs de Cherbourg, whose mission was to find and neutralise underwater mines. Nargeolet retired at the rank of capitaine de frégate (frigate captain).

IFREMER In 1986, the French Research Institute for the Exploitation of the Sea (IFREMER) contacted Nargeolet about diving to the wreck of the Titanic; he heartily agreed to go.

Aqua+ From 1996 to 2003, Nargeolet worked with Aqua+, a subsidiary of Canal+, whose objective is to produce underwater films. During his time with the company he directed the underwater missions of two submarines.

Later, as a result of his Titanic work, Nargeolet re-established contact with a childhood friend, Anne Sarraz-Bournet, who became his second wife. He became a U.S. citizen in February 2016.

Titan expedition and death

On 18 June 2023, Nargeolet was onboard the Titan, a submersible owned, designed, built and operated by OceanGate on an expedition to view the Titanic wreckage. The vehicle lost contact with the above-water ship.

On 22 June, after the discovery of a debris field approximately from the bow of the Titanic, OceanGate said it believed Nargeolet and the four others aboard "have sadly been lost". A United States Coast Guard press conference later confirmed that the debris was consistent with a catastrophic loss of the pressure hull, resulting in the implosion of the submersible vehicle.