Paul-Henri Nargeolet, one of the five people who died aboard the submersible Titan this week, was a contributor to the Titanic attraction on Orlando’s International Drive.

Nargeolet, a French explorer known as ‘PH,’ supervised the recovery of 5,000 pieces of Titanic, including a 3-ton chunk of the hull that’s displayed at Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition. That section, dubbed the “Little Big Piece,” is the second-largest relic ever recovered from the ship, which sank in 1912.  Nargeolet, who was 77, had also been a speaker at the I-Drive attraction.

Operated by RMS Titanic Inc., I-Drive’s Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition contains about 300 artifacts from the ship and features full-scale room re-creations.

Nargeolet had made more than 35 trips to the site of the Titanic in the North Atlantic.

“Our hearts are with the families and friends of those aboard the submersible as we are collectively and individually mourning the lost of our long-term employee and colleague Paul Henri ‘PH Nargeolet,”  Jessica Sanders, president of RMS Titanic Inc., said in a release Thursday.

“The maritime world has lost an iconic and inspirational leader in deep-sea exploration, and we have  lost a dear and treasured friend,” Sanders said.

Nargeolet was director of underwater research for E/M Group and RMS Titanic Inc., the Associated Press reported.

RMS Titanic Inc. is an affiliate of Experiential Media Group, which was granted salvage rights to the wreck of the Titanic by a U.S. federal court order in 1994.  The company also has a Titanic exhibition in Las Vegas.

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