According to his mother, teenage Suleman Dawood, who perished in the Titan submersible, brought his Rubik's Cube along because he wanted to set a world record.
The 19-year-old submitted an application to Guinness World Records, and Shahzada, who also passed away, had brought a camera to record the event.
When word spread that communication with the Titan had been lost, Christine Dawood and her daughter were on board the Polar Prince, the sub's support vessel.
It just got worse from there, she said, because "I didn't understand at that moment what it meant.". .
In her initial interview, Mrs. Dawood stated that the Covid pandemic had forced them to postpone a trip to see the Titanic wreck that she had planned to take her husband on.
Then, she continued, "I took a step back and gave them room to set [Suleman] up, because he really wanted to go.".
Along with Suleman and his father Shahzada Dawood, three other people perished on board: Paul-Henry Nargeolet, 77, a renowned explorer and former French navy diver; Stockton Rush, 61; and Hamish Harding, 58; all of whom were employed by OceanGate, the company that owned the Titan.
Speaking of her son, Mrs. Dawood claimed that Suleman adored the Rubik's Cube to the point where he carried it around everywhere and dazzled onlookers by cracking the challenging puzzle in under a minute.
"I'm going to solve the Rubik's Cube at the Titanic 3,700 meters below the surface, he declared. ".
On Father's Day, the family boarded the Polar Prince, along with daughter Alina, who is 17 years old.
As her husband and son boarded the Titan submersible, Mrs. Dawood claimed that they shared hugs and jokes.
She remarked, "I was really happy for them because they both really wanted to do that for a very long time.
Mrs. Dawood described her husband as having a contagious curiosity about the world and forcing the family to watch documentaries after dinner.
She claimed that he was capable of eliciting childlike excitement.
Mrs. Dawood and her daughter continued to be on board the Polar Prince as the search and rescue effort went from optimistic to desperate.
Mrs. Dawood said, "I think I lost hope when we passed the 96-hour mark.
According to her, that is when she wrote a message to her family. 'I'm preparing for the worst,' I declared. "At that point, I gave up.". " .
She said Alina persisted a little longer. She remained hopeful up until the Coast Guard call. basically when they told us they had found debris. " .
After traveling back to St. John's on Saturday, the family held a funeral prayer for Shahzada and Suleman on Sunday. Mrs. Dawood expressed her gratitude for the Imam's prayer for all five of the deceased men. .
In honor of Suleman, Mrs. Dawood stated that she and her daughter would attempt to figure out how to solve a Rubik's Cube, and she intended to carry on her husband's work. .
"He was involved in so many things and helped so many people, and I believe that I really want to carry on his legacy and provide him with a stage when his work has continued. It's also very important for my daughter.". ".
Mrs. Dawood refused to comment on the ongoing inquiries into the tragedy. But when asked how she and her daughter would come to terms with their loss, she replied, "I don't know. " .
She drew a deep breath and said, "I miss them. "I miss them so much, so much.
. "
