Eight months after “Mr. Titanic” Paul-Henri Nargeolet died in the Titan submersible tragedy, his adult children gathered for the sad task of clearing out his belongings from his last home in Pawling, NY.
Many of his prized possessions, including some of his Titanic memorabilia and OceanGate—the company that operated the doomed sub—merchandise have been put up for sale.
The house at 1018 Route 292 is currently listed for sale for $1.7 million.
In an exclusive interview with Realtor.com®, the seafarer’s youngest daughter, Sidonie Nargeolet, 39, said that when “PH” (as everyone called him) purchased the 2.74-acre property in January 2022, he was excited to own 515 feet of sparkling lakefront on private Lake Whaley in the hamlet of Holmes.
Since he had good friends who lived there, he was familiar with the area, which is a 90-minute drive to New York City.
“He’d been there to swim on the lake many times,” Sidonie says.
Being around the water was important to Paul-Henri. Not only was it his life’s work as a deep-sea diver and Titanic expert, but he and his wife, Anne Sarraz-Bournet, loved to swim.
“The lake allowed them to do that,” says Regan Andrews, co-agent of the listing with Linda Finn of Houlihan Lawrence Brewster.
A look back at Paul-Henri Nargeolet’s last home—and most treasured possessions
Paul-Henri was the director of underwater research for RMS Titanic, which owns salvage rights to the famous ocean liner’s wreckage.
Before the sudden implosion of the Titan, he had previously led 37 successful expeditions to the site, had supervised the recovery of thousands of artifacts, and was considered to have spent more time at the wreckage than anyone else.
A month after the submersible imploded upon approaching the wreckage, Sidonie first visited the lakefront house.
It was obvious why her water-loving dad had snapped up the home two years earlier for $1.5 million.
The four-bedroom, four-bath, custom-built home came with a beach, dock, shady deck, and expansive views of the lake—the largest in Dutchess County—from practically every room.
“The house is really beautiful,” she says. “It’s peaceful, and the view of the lake is amazing. And the neighborhood is pleasant.”
Since Sidonie and her siblings live outside the country, they decided to sell the property and much of their father’s belongings.
“We don’t have enough space to take [many] things into our homes,” says Sidonie, who lives in Andorra, a small county between France and Spain. “We will keep what makes us mostly remember him: things from the sea, frames, and objects representing the Titanic.”
The children used color-coded tags to keep track of who wanted to take what, including replicas of the White Star Line’s sales brochures for the doomed luxury liner (a group of originals sold at Christie’s for $11,400 in 2006), a copper deep-sea divers helmet called a scaphandre, and other diving and Titanic mementos.
However, no actual artifacts retrieved from the Titanic were in the house, as they were too valuable and placed in museums.
The RMS retained exclusive salvage rights to the wreck under the condition that nothing could ever be sold.
A Titanic Christmas ornament owned by “Mr. Titanic”Sidonie says the house held over 300 Titanic books, in English, French, and German.
Courtesy of Sidonie Nargeolet
The books, as well as many of his other possessions, will be auctioned off at an estate sale held at the house March 8–11.
“Working with the Titanic was an adventure of a lifetime,” Sidonie says of her father’s lifelong passion. “Recovering artifacts is a real technological challenge. With each dive, there was always something new to discover. Exhibiting Titanic artifacts in museums was a way for him to honor the memories of the passengers, not just the ones that died but also the survivors.”
Sidonie says she’s happy her father will be remembered as “Mr. Titanic.”
Also for sale will be Paul-Henri’s personal OceanGate merchandise, including a T-shirt and jacket emblazoned with an image of the Titan submersible that took his life along with four other individuals, including OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush.
The company is now defunct.
The 77-year-old explorer also left behind daughter Chloe, son Julien, and stepson John Nathaniel Paschall.
Paul-Henri and four others perished aboard the submersible Titan as it approached the wreckage of the Titanic on June 18, 2023.
The wreckage lies about 12,500 feet below sea level off the coast of Newfoundland.
Also aboard were Titanic fanatics Pakastani-British businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son, Suleman; British businessman and aviator Hamish Harding; and the pilot and founder of OceanGate, Stockton Rush.
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