One of the Titan submarine victims had hoped to break a world record while being 3,700 metres below sea, a relative has revealed.
Christine Dawood, mother of 19-year-old Suleman, lost her son and husband Shahzada after OceanGate launched an ill-fated trip to see the wreckage of the Titanic last week.
She revealed how her son had applied to the Guinness World Records and his father brought a camera with him to capture the moment.
Suleman reportedly took the square puzzle everywhere he went and shocked onlookers by solving it in just 12 seconds.
Suleman Dawood and Shahzada DawoodReutersChristine told the BBC: “He said, ‘I’m going to solve the Rubik’s Cube 3,700 meters below sea at the Titanic'.”
Suleman’s mother and her 17-year-old daughter Alina were aboard Titan’s support vessel Polar Prince when communication between the two had been lost.
The pair held out hope until the 96-hour period which indicated the vessel had run out of oxygen had passed.
Christine and Alina intend to learn to finish the Rubik’s Cube in Suleman’s honour.
An image of a Titan submarine used for such expeditionsOcean GateThe mother also vowed to continue her husband’s work.
She said: “He was involved in so many things, he helped so many people and I think Alina and I really want to continue that legacy and give him that platform when his work has continued and it’s quite important for my daughter as well.
“Alina and I said we are going learn how to solve the Rubik’s cube.
“That’s going to be a challenge for us because we are really bad at it but we are going to learn it.”
The Titanic tourist sub vanished in the Atlantic Ocean on SundayReutersSuleman and his father were pronounced dead after US Coast Guard spokesman Rear Admiral John Mauger said debris found near the Titanic was “consistent with the catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber”.
Speaking at a press conference, he said: "Upon this determination, we immediately notified the families.
“On behalf of the United States Coast Guard and the entire unified command, I offer my deepest condolences to the families.
“I can only imagine what this has been like for them.
General view during the UK qualifier at the Rubik's Cube World Championships
PA
"And I hope that this discovery provides some solace during this difficult time."
Responding to the announcement, the Dawood Foundation said: "It is with profound grief that we announce the passing of Shahzada Dawood and Suleman Dawood.
“Our beloved sons were aboard OceanGate’s Titan submersible that perished underwater.
“Please continue to keep the departed souls and our family in your prayers during this difficult period of mourning."