 Last week, the entire world was captivated by the story of the missing submersible known as Titan that disappeared while en route to view the world's most famous shipwreck, the Titanic. In the early hours of Sunday morning, June 18th, 2023, the submersible's mother ship lost contact with the vessel about one hour and 45 minutes into its descent to explore the wreckage of the Titanic and then became a frantic rush against time to save everyone on board the vessel before the life support systems give out, or at least so we thought. Packed into that small ship, roughly the size of a minibus were five men, Pakistani billionaire Shazada Dawood and his son, Suleiman, French diver Paul Henry Narjula, pilot and Ocean Gate CEO Stockton Rush as well as British millionaire and adventurer Hamish Harding. Unfortunately, none of them would return from beneath the water's surface. For our purposes today, we're going to focus on Hamish, an English businessman who lived in Dubai with his wife Linda as well as his sons Rory and Giles. He had an impressive list of extreme expeditions under his belt, including experiences a jet pilot, which no doubt dovetailed nicely with his day job as the chairman of Action Aviation in aircraft brokerage. He was also a member on the board of trustees of the Explorers Club, a New York based organization that has been involved in many of the world's most prestigious discoveries. Hamish originally made headlines in 2019 for being part of the crew that broke the world record for fastest circumnavigation of the globe. In 2020, he then took his son with him on a return trip to the south while making Giles the youngest person ever to visit that spot. That same year, Hamish experienced diving to the ocean's depth for the first time when he became one of the first people to board the Challenger Deep and ride it all the way to the Mariana Trench, widely believed to be the deepest point in the world's oceans. Having survived that experience, the idea of visiting the Titanic probably sounded tame by comparison. Unfortunately, it turned out to be anything but. Considering how quickly things turned tragic and how we're all just rushing to catch up, no one knows much about Hamish's living situation outside of his being based out of the United Arab Emirates. What I can tell you about is a submersible that Hamish and four others were trapped inside a search and rescue team's race against time to save their lives. The day before the Titans submersible went missing, Hamish Harding took to social media to announce that he was joining Ocean Gate Expeditions as a mission specialist. Ocean Gate is a company that offers to take passengers to the Titanic's wreckage at the bottom of the ocean aboard a submersible for prices starting at as much as $250,000. For those of you without experience on a vessel like this, the main difference between, say, a submersible and a submarine is that the former needs a mothership that can both launch and recover it, while the latter has enough power to leave ports and return on its own. The eight-day expedition is based out of St. John's, Newfoundland and begins with a 400 nautical mile journey to the site. Once above the wreckage, up to five people, which typically includes three paying passengers, one pilot and one content expert, board the Titans submersible and descend over two hours to the bottom of the ocean to see the Titanic up close and personal in a way that very few ever have. According to information provided by Ocean Gate, Titan is a 23,000 pound vessel constructed primarily out of carbon fiber and titanium. It measures in a 22 feet long, the equivalent of about six average size cars and is also capable of descending to depths of over 13,000 feet. It uses four electric thrusters to pilot the craft and has a battalion of cameras, lights and scanners to provide detailed information of its surrounding environment. Furthermore, the use of off-the-shelf components is supposed to help streamline the vessel while also making it simple to operate and replace parts as needed in the field. Meanwhile, the interior of the submersible is about as sparse as it comes. It only contained one toilet and no seats, meaning it's five passengers had to sit cross-legged on the floor. There are also no windows except for the porthole through which passengers can view the Titanic. That's like a claustrophobic person like me's nightmare. Anyways, another part of the operation that's low-tech is that the vessel is operated by something that basically looks like a PlayStation controller. This gamepad is used for wireless control and if the remote were to fail, the propellers could be controlled through an internal hardware system. Considering how dangerous the terrain is underwater, Titan is the only submersible that offers a safety feature using a real-time hull health monitoring system. It analyzes the pressure on the vessel and the integrity of its structure. Any issue detected by the system triggers an early warning, so the pilot, so they have enough time to safely return to the surface. The submersible is held underwater by ballasts, heavy weights that help with the vessel's stability and that are meant to be automatically released after 24 hours to send the sub back to the surface. In other words, every part of the design of this ship is meant to get it back safely. Last but not least, Titan offers life support capacity for five people on board for up to 96 hours. And once the ship initially went missing, that ticking clock is what everyone thought we were up against. Just an hour and 45 minutes into the expedition, Hamish Harding and the other individuals on the Ocean Gate Titan lose contact with the mothership and the Polar Pritz, but the sub still wasn't reported overdue until later that night. The two vessels were using Elon Musk's Starlink satellite tech to communicate, but none clear at this point why communication lines broke down. It's also kind of inconsequential because with only 96 hours of bottled oxygen supply, experts predicted that Hamish and everyone else on board would only have enough oxygen to last until Thursday morning. With rescue efforts in full swing, Ocean Gate Expeditions mobilized all of its options to bring the crew back safely by bringing in the US Coast Guard to Boston to spearhead the operation with the help of Canadian Coast Guard and military aircraft. The deepest ever underwater rescue to this point in time was that of Roger Chapman and Roger Mallinson, who were rescued from the Pisces 3 submersible at a depth of just 1,575 feet after being trapped in there for 76 hours back in 1973. But the Titanic wreckage is much deeper than that, sitting at nearly 13,000 feet below sea level. By Thursday morning, the Coast Guard had searched 7,600 square miles of ocean and come up with nothing. Then later that afternoon, a robotic diving vehicle deployed from a Canadian ship discovered debris field containing parts of the Titan about 1,600 feet from the bow of the Titanic. Five major fragments of the Titan were left over, including the vessel's tail comb, as well as two sections of the pressure hull. Coast Guard officials told media outlets, the debris field here is consistent with a catastrophic implosion of the vehicle. Following this heartbreaking turn of events, the tributes to the five brave souls lost aboard this craft came pouring in from all around the globe. The White House sent out a statement expressing their remorse over what the families of these five men have gone through over the past week, while Ocean Gate paid tribute to the passengers as the true explorers engraved their loss. As for Hamish Harding's family, they also released a statement remembering Hamish as a dedicated father who was not only an inspiration, but a living legend as well, reading in part, what he achieved in his lifetime was truly remarkable and if we can take any small consolation from this tragedy, it's that we lost him doing what he loved. This isn't the way any of us wanted this to end. And when I started researching this story, there was still hope these people could be found, but by the time I was finished, the hope was gone. I gotta say, it makes me feel a bit better knowing that Hamish's family recognizes he died doing something that he loves. Alright everyone, that's gonna bring this special edition of Health Tour to a close, but before you leave, take a second to answer the following question. What's the one form of transportation that frightens you the most? Let me know if you'd be more comfortable thousands of feet under the water than say thousands of feet up in the air in the comments below. I think the water thing scares me more. My name's Karen if you'd like to check out another tour that's detuned because I'm about to take you inside the homes of King Abdullah II of Jordan and his wife Queen Rania. I'll see you all next time. Bye! How much land does the king own? Well, I guess that kind of depends on which king you're talking about, but if it's King Abdullah II of Jordan alongside his wife Queen Rania, then as it turns out, far more than they should. Abdullah has ruled Jordan since the death of his father in 1999, the man who originally positioned the kingdom as a key ally of the western world, while also being known for his very public displays of wealth. Well, his son has most definitely carried on with that tradition. The problem is in a country that's propped up by billions of dollars in international financial aid, and where unemployment has nearly doubled over the past decade, the king's wealth is something that the government considers to be too sensitive for the public to know about. Until the release of the Pandora Papers, that is, considered to be the biggest leak of offshore financial secrets detailing the hidden assets of some of the world's richest people. It contains 11.9 million files worth of confidential information, thanks to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. It's biggest revelation that nearly 32 trillion dollars of secret shadow money had been hidden by dozens of world leaders in global tax havens, and to absolutely nobody's surprise, much of that money has wound up being funneled into luxury real estate, which brings us back to King Abdullah II. The files exposed that the Arab world's largest serving current monarch has spent the past few decades amassing an international luxury property empire worth over a hundred million dollars, with a footprint stretching from the cliff tops of Malibu, California to Washington DC and the streets of London. This longtime monarch isn't short of places to call home no matter what country he's visiting. For what I'm just going to have to assume are diplomatic purposes. Has the king actually done anything wrong here? Let's find out as I take you inside some of these breathtaking mansions. In 2014, King Abdullah II of Jordan shelled 33.5 million dollars for what's the most palatial and certainly most expensive of his real estate purchases, revealed by the Pandora papers, a vast cliff top property on California's Malibu coast, described as a resort hotel like mega mansion, which is maybe five of the most exciting sounding words in the English language when lined up next to each other. This estate is said to contain 26 rooms and overlook a stretch of coastline that was actually made famous as the location of the shocking final scene in the original 1968 Planet of the Apes film. Originally built in 1999 and tucked behind gates, the home is of unclear architectural heritage, but we do see some large columns and inside the entire space is most definitely fit for a modern day king. After buying the property, Abdullah poured millions more into a complete overhaul of the home. The interiors are now likely even fancier than some of the images you're about to see. Take, for example, this ocean view kitchen that's been equipped with striking wood cabinets, which connects directly to a family room with an outdoor patio. Upstairs, you'll discover a lavishly decorated primary suite with sitting area, spa style bathrooms and a private balcony with stunning whitewater views. Elsewhere back on the main floor, the home's Ritz Carlton-like interiors also include a massive movie theater and a fully stocked gym. Meanwhile, outside, there's a swimming pool and a big grassy yard that overlooks the Pacific Ocean, alongside various patios and terraces, all of which offer ample space for a little alfresco dining and entertainment. As impossibly beautiful as that home is, apparently, it just wasn't enough for King Abdullah's purposes. And over the next few years, he'd scoop up further homes in this sun-drenched city. In 2015, his royal highness spent $12.2 million for the property directly right next door. This 2,700 square foot estate is the smallest and least expensive of the King's Malibu's holdings. Built in 1982, the four-bedroom, four-bathroom home sits on a 1.1-acre lot and boasts a very cozy beach-cheek vibe. The white Mediterranean villa-style structure is partially shrouded by dense foliage and includes garden walkways as well as panoramic ocean views. Not much is known about the interior, but it's believed that the home was converted into a security building for the King's bodyguards and other service staff. Recently, documents were submitted to city officials for a tear-down, with a proposal to build a new home on that same lot that would be twice as large as the old one. So it's possible that the King has big plans for this property in the coming years. In September of 2017, the King made his most recent purchase of his three Malibu estates when he spent $23 million on a 1.3-acre property next to Point Doome State Beach, boasting 7,700 square foot of space alongside seven bedrooms as well as seven baths. This former listing for this property described it as a grand European-style estate with 100 feet of bluff top panoramic ocean views. Images of the outside reveal a beige house that gives off a light, airy feel, and makes me imagine that the King and Queen probably used this property as a laid-back beach pad when they're looking to engage in a little R&R. According to reports, the King also has construction plans for this home, which include the additions of a new pool, pergola, and a large outdoor barbecue space. If you were to add those three properties up alone, you're already arriving at a price tag of nearly $70 million. But these weren't the only estates that the King quietly added to his portfolio over the years. Outside of his homes in Malibu, California, King Abdullah II of Jordan has also acquired four condominiums in Georgetown, a wealthy part of Washington, D.C., for a total of $16 million between 2012 and 2014. According to reports, his son Crown Prince Hussein was attending Georgetown University at the time of these purchases. He also secretly bought a portfolio of seven luxury properties in the United Kingdom. These include three in Belgravia, London purchased between 2003 and 2011. These English homes are estimated to have a current market value of around $35 million in total. At the same time as the President was spending money as if it were nothing, the United Kingdom's government was sending up to $120 million a year in bilateral aid to Jordan, and they were far from the only country doing so. The biggest red flag when it comes to the King's real estate purchases is that he used a number of different offshore companies incorporated in the British Virgin Islands to keep his ownership of these properties a secret. Those individuals who set up these companies on behalf of the King were extremely careful not to identify him in any way and only referred to him in internal documents as you know who. I know that was only done to protect his identity but now that we know what was really going on, all that does is make Abdullah sound guiltier by drawing comparisons to he who shall not be named. In a statement released by Jordan's Royal Hashemid court, it was suggested that the King had not acted in an improper manner when it came to taking ownership of these properties, greeting in parts. His majesty uses these properties during official visits and hosts official and foreign dignitaries there. The King and his family members also stay in some of these properties during private visits. It was further suggested that the ownership of these properties wasn't originally publicized out of security and privacy concerns, not out of secrecy. Using offshore companies to acquire property isn't illegal and is sometimes used for exactly the reasons that the Jordan government claims. But the secrecy of this system also opens the door up to money laundering, which is why people were looking to the King for answers. No matter what way you look at it, this leak of public finances in his real estate portfolio is an embarrassing blow for Abdullah, who was only further made to look foolish recently when his half-brother, former Crown Prince Hamza, accused the ruling system of corruption. Claiming he was a victim of a malicious plot, the King decided to place his half-brother under house arrest. The question is, with all the homes his family owns, which palatial estate do you think his half-brother has been incarcerated in? In all honesty, I'd be willing to be placed under house arrest too if it meant being holed up in one of these residences. Alright everyone, that's gonna bring this latest house tour to a close. Thanks so much for watching and before you head out-