French researcher Paul-Henri Nargeolet, one of the five who died in the explosion of the submarine Titan, spent decades working with RMS Titanic Incof the controversial company that retrieved thousands of relics from the famous shipwreck from the sea.

Nargeolet, 77, nicknamed ‘Mr Titanic’ as a leading expert on the wreck, has led several expeditions for the company which owns exclusive salvage rights, details Daily mail.

RMS Titanic Inc says it is “committed to preserving the heritage of the ship, the wreck site and all its passengers”. However, critics accused him of trying to “profit” from the “theft and robbery” of the ship that he was involved in a tragedy that claimed around 1,500 lives.

Nargeolot, who said his goal has always been “education and conservation,” had already participated in dozens of dives at the site before his trip aboard the Titan experimental submarine.

He removed 5,000 artifacts from the ship in his career and even lifted a 20-ton section of the ship’s hull for analysis.

The RMS recovered artifacts from the wreck during expeditions in 1987, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000 and 2004. A large amount of jewelry was recovered from the wreckage, including an 18-karat gold and diamond ring, glittering necklaces and earring sets.

Nargeolet said in 2012: “I remember talking to (a relative of a Titanic victim), a woman, who said, ‘I don’t like what you’re doing because my father died on the ship.’“.

“I agree with that. But I’ve met other survivors who like what we’re doing. They believe it helps keep the ship and its legacy alive,” he justified. “My belief is that it’s good to record artifacts, it’s good for education and preservation. That’s the goal,” he added.

The United States remains opposed to the return of the Titanic’s radio transmitter

The submarine collided with the Titanic

Gavin Robinson, the DUP MP for East Belfast, where the Titanic was built, criticized in 2020 a plan by US company RMS Titanic Inc to salvage artefacts from the Titanic for display in Las Vegas.

In 2016, RMS Titanic Inc and its parent company, Premier Exhibitions Inc, they declared bankruptcy and were preparing to auction off the relics in their possession.

Some activists, including the director titanic (1997), James Cameron, led an unsuccessful campaign to make the collection the property of a consortium of museums. In any case, the auction did not take place.