The mother of Suleman, who was the youngest passenger aboard the OceanGate submersible has now revealed that she gave up her space for her son to enjoy the trip of a lifetime
A heartbroken mum whose son and husband died aboard the doomed Titanic sub has revealed she gave up her seat so the two could “make memories” together before their shock deaths.
The five people on board the sub were killed instantaneously after intense deep-sea pressures and a series of critical issues led to a catastrophic implosion, on June 18, 2023. Suleman Dawood, 19, was the youngest passenger aboard the OceanGate submersible when it imploded on the way to the wreck of the Titanic.
The teen, who was studying at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow in Scotland, died alongside his dad, billionaire Pakistani entrepeneur Shahzada Dawood, and four other people who had paid $250,000 (£191,135) to go on what was meant to be a major private trip to the wreck.
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The three other people who died on board the sub were British billionaire Hamish Harding, 58, OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, 61 and French diver and Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet, 77.
Suleman’s mum, Christine, has now revealed that she gave up her space for her son to enjoy the trip of a lifetime, and was aboard the ship as it launched the submersible into the depths of the North Atlantic Ocean.
Speaking to The Guardian, Christine remembered the advice given to her by a member of the coastguard, adding she offered her son the ticket because she was “happy for him to make memories with his father”. She said: “It was one of the Canadian Coast Guards.
“A very experienced woman with blond hair – I forget her name – gave me the best advice I’ve ever gotten: ‘Hindsight won’t help you, so don’t fall into that trap. Just because you know it now … you didn’t know it before.’ I’ve always remembered her telling me that. Suleman wanted to go and I was happy to give up the seat. I was happy for him to make memories with his father. I can’t change that.”
Christine, who lives with her 20-year-old daughter in their family home in Surrey, said the fact the submersible has collapsed inward in a fraction of a second, and killed the men instantaneously, made her feel better as she knew her husband and son did not suffer slow deaths.
A report into the tragedy was released in August 2025 which said multiple contributing factors led to the “preventable” implosion off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada.
Coast Guard investigators, in a 327-page report, said: “This marine casualty and the loss of five lives was preventable.” The investigation found several crucial problems which led to the tragic disaster.
These included OceanGate prioritising profits over safety, putting pressure on employees to avoid them expressing concerns and failures with the Titan’s design. The Coast Guard said: “In summary, OceanGate repeatedly prioritized operational goals and financial considerations over safety, ignoring warnings from both industry experts and internal staff.”
