Christine Dawood, the widow of Shahzada Dawood who died alongside their son Suleman in the Titan submersible implosion, has spoken publicly for the first time about the four-day search. The 48-year-old father and 19-year-old son were among five people killed when the submersible imploded 500 metres above the Titanic wreck on 18 June 2023.
Speaking from her home in Surrey, Dawood described the media frenzy that followed the news the Titan was missing. She recalled rumours that the sub was trapped in the wreck or adrift in the North Atlantic, and the countdown that began when reports said the craft had just four days of oxygen. Social media was gripped by the fate of the little sub.
Dawood, a trained psychologist, said she had originally been due to go on the dive but gave her ticket to her son. She said she was happy for him to make memories with his father and cannot change that. She remembered advice from a Canadian Coast Guard officer: 'Hindsight won’t help you, so don’t fall into that trap.'
The family had booked the trip through their travel agency after seeing an advert during the 2020 lockdown. OceanGate, founded by Stockton Rush, was promoting tourist dives to the Titanic. Dawood said they were excited when told the trip was doable.
Dawood still lives in the family home with her 20-year-old daughter, whom she is protective of. She said she does not want her daughter to be known as 'that girl who lost her father and brother on the Titan'. She has written a book telling her story.
