The University of Cambridge held a deep sea-themed ball hours before a former student, missing billionaire explorer Hamish Harding, and his fellow passengers ran out of oxygen, on lost OceanGate’s submersible — prompting his outraged family to slam the college’s “extremely bad taste.”
Students at Pembroke College attended the “Nautilus: Into the Depths” ball on Wednesday night, the Cambridge Tab reported.
Photos from the festivities, which were part of the storied university’s May Ball tradition, show glowing jellyfish decorations and oversized diver’s helmets.
Attendees reportedly even swayed to Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” from the 1997 film “Titanic,” The Telegraph said.
Meanwhile, Dubai-based businessman Hamish Harding, who attended Pembroke in the 1980s, remains lost in the North Atlantic Ocean after his tourist expedition to the infamous shipwreck went horribly wrong.
Harding, 58, and four others were on board the Titan submersible when it lost contact with its mothership on Sunday morning. As of Thursday afternoon, neither the sub nor the crew has been found.
In light of Harding’s disappearance, the organizers of the Pembroke party said they could not change the theme because it “was chosen months ago, the Tab reported.
“We are aware of the worrying news about Pembroke alumnus Hamish Harding. Today’s May Ball theme was chosen many months ago and if we could change it now, we would,” the official statement read.
“All we can say is that we sincerely hope that Mr Harding and the others on board the submarine will be found safe and well. Our thoughts go out to the Harding family at this very difficult time.”
Harding’s cousin, Kathleen Cosnett, 69, slammed the students for going forward with the ball, calling it “extremely bad taste.”
“That’s terrible – polite courtesy has missed out on quite a few generations,” she told The Telegraph.
“Ridiculous. They would have had a record of him studying there, I would have thought.
“They ought to think more than twice, and show consideration. Perhaps we are lucky they didn’t play Yellow Submarine. But perhaps they are not old enough for that.”
Tickets to the May Ball cost over $220 each, the Tab said.
In addition to a champagne reception and Jägerbomb tent, those in attendance were also treated to a silent disco, a ball pit, and face painting, among other entertainments.
In the lead-up to the big event, the planning committee raised over $1,000 for the charities Plastic Oceans International and Blue Marine Foundation, the Tab said.
“We have chosen to support two charities whose works we believe are pertinent in today’s climate. In keeping with our ball’s theme, and with our aim to be as sustainable as ever, these charities support and act on improving the health of ocean life,” the committee announced in March.
