Kent mourns loss of ‘Mr. Titanic’

KENT — Around the globe, Paul Henry Nargeolet, one of five men who perished during the ill-fated deep-sea dive in the 22-foot-long Titan submersible headed to the site of the Titanic wreckage, was known as a French maritime explorer, author and expert on all things Titanic.

But to many in the small, tight-knit town of Kent, he was known simply as “PH,” a cherished friend and neighbor who retained close ties to the community, serving on the Kent Memorial Library’s board of trustees, even after moving to Holmes, New York, about a year ago.

“It’s such a sad, tragic event to happen,” said Jean Speck, Kent’s First Selectman, on Friday, June 23, a day after U.S. Coast Guard officials announced that the sub had suffered a “catastrophic implosion” and that all five occupants had died.

“It’s one of those gray days. When you live in a tiny town like Kent, and you lose someone, it’s sort of a deeper loss because there are only 3,000 people in our town. The single losses really affect us in a bigger way.”

Speck recalled meeting Nargeolet, 77, several times at library fundraisers “where he was really beloved by the board and the organization. Even before this tragedy started to unfold, I had heard people say that he was a valued member of the board and beyond, just a great energy, and a gentleman.”

On June 23, Kent Memorial Library posted an announcement on its website in memory of its late board member:

“The Library staff and Board is saddened to learn of the tragic death of our friend, PH Nargeolet. PH was an active member of the Kent Library Association Board since 2017, and generously hosted two benefits at his former home on Spooner Hill, presented fascinating programs about his many adventures for the community, and shared his time, stories and kindness with us all. He will be greatly missed.”

Library director Sarah Marshall said Nargeolet, who held several programs about his deep-sea explorations and adventures over the years, was a “very lovely person and the most interesting man I have ever met.”

The French native, known globally as “Mr. Titanic,” served as director of the Underwater Research Program at Premier Exhibitions, RMS Titanic, the organization which owns the salvage rights to the wreck. Over the years he made numerous trips to the ocean’s bottom to study the wreckage and on previous OceanGate expeditions on the Titan.

It is dangerous work. “He knew the risks, and so did we. He did it with his eyes wide open,” said Marshall of the adventurer’s passion for trips to the bottom of the sea.

According to the Kent Memorial Library’s website, “PH led several expeditions to the Titanic site and was involved in numerous scientific and technical expeditions around the world. He was in charge of the deep submersible Nautili (20,000 feet) and Cyana (10,000 feet) and all the deep equipment, and the technical research office of the institute.”

As director of the Underwater Research Program of RMS Titanic, Inc, Nargeolet was also the technical adviser and consultant for the Five Deeps Expedition, which reach the deepest points of the five oceans with the only manned submersible in the world, diving to 36,000 feet, according to the library’s website.

In the tense week leading up to the June 22 announcement that a debris field from the sub’s wreckage was discovered just 1,600 feet off the bow of the Titanic, the search for the missing vessel had captivated the world as rescue personnel from across the globe rushed to the scene to help before Titan’s oxygen supply ran out.

In Kent, friends and neighbors prayed for a miracle that never came.

David Gallo, an oceanographer and deep-sea explorer and senior adviser for Strategic Initiatives, RMS Titanic, Inc., said there is something poetic, in a way, that his friend spent much of his life on the bottom of the sea following his passion and preserving the legacy of the Titanic, “and now he’s there.”

A group of friends and loved ones gathered at the Hatch Pond boat launch Sunday afternoon, June 25, to share memories of Nargeolet at a gathering of remembrance. The event, held on the shores of the pond just off Route 7, was well-attended and not open to the public.