TITANIC
The real reason Suleman Dawood went on the ill-fated Titan submarine
The 19-year-old son of Shahzada had a dream in mind as he took the place on the submersible instead of his mother.
Young Suleman Dawood was one of the five individuals who died in the Titan submersible last week on a trip to see the sunken wreckage of Titanic. He embarked on the journey with his father, Shahzada, who also perished in the submerged vessel at nearly 4,000 meters deep, in a seat earmarked for his mother, Christine, and he was carrying a Rubik’s Cube.
What Rubik’s Cube world record did Dawood want to beat?
As well as going on an iconic trip that very few people have ever done, the 19-year-old had an objective to solve the famous cube in the depths of the sea within the submersible. In fact, he had a camera with him to capture the achievement. This was revealed by his mother in an interview she gave to the BBC.
“He said, ‘I’m going to solve the Rubik’s Cube at 3,700 meters beneath the sea at the Titanic.’” It wasn’t the first time he had taken the cube with him, she added, and that he was able to solve it in under 20 seconds. As far as we can tell, despite numerous other records related to the cube solving, this would’ve been a first, and one unlikely to have been bettered.
“I was very happy for them because they really wanted to see the remains of the Titanic,” Christine continued, explaining, with a heavy heart, that it was her that had initially planned to accompany her husband on this mission. In the end she changed her decision due to her son’s wish. “Then I stepped back and made room for Suleman because he really wanted to go.”
This version of the feelings behind the trip contradict those previously reported by Suleman’s aunt and Shahzada’s brother, Azmeh Dawood who said that he “had a sense that this was not okay and he was not very comfortable about doing it.”
A Rubik’s Cube tribute from Dawood’s mother
Both Christine and her 17-year-old daughter Alina were on board the support vessel for the Titan submarine, the Polar Prince, as the exploration and then tragedy unfolded. They received the news that communication with the submarine had been lost, and when the estimated time for the oxygen supplies would run out passed, so did her hope.
“I think I lost hope when the 96 hours passed,” she admitted.
On Sunday, the family held a funeral for Shahzada and Suleman in Canada, and during the BBC interview Christine also stated that her goal is to learn how to solve the Rubik’s Cube in honour of her son, as well as continuing her husband’s work.
“He was involved in so many things, he helped so many people, and I really want to carry on that legacy and give it that platform. It’s also very important for my daughter,” she said.