The pilot of the missing Titan sub is married to Wendy Rush, the great-great-granddaughter of the famous Titanic couple Isidor and Ida Strauss. Wendy Rush is the director of communications at OceanGate, which owns the Titan submersible. Wendy is a descendant of one of the Straus’ daughters, Minnie. In 1905, Minnie married Dr. Richard Weil, who is Wendy’s great-grandfather. Wendy married the pilot of the Titan submersible, Stockton, in 1986.
The ill-fated Titanic hit an iceberg and sank in the North Atlantic Ocean over 100 years ago. Isidor and Ida Strauss, who were an affluent couple and among the wealthiest on board the Titanic, died in the tragedy. Isidor co-owned Macy’s department store at the time. According to a wedding announcement obtained by the New York Times, Wendy Rush married Stockton, the pilot of the Titanic submersible.
OceanGate Expeditions owns the underwater vehicle, which charges passengers upwards of $250,000 to travel to the site of the Titanic’s 1912 crash to gaze upon the ship’s remains. Participants on the excursion are able to document the rate of decay and catch glimpses of history. In a statement, a representative for OceanGate said that for some time, they have been unable to establish communications with one of their submersible exploration vehicles, which is currently visiting the wreck site of the Titanic. The entire focus is on the well-being of the crew, and every step possible is being taken to bring the five crew members back safely. They pray for the safe return of the crew and passengers, and they will provide updates as they are available.
OceanGate’s website says that the Titan’s innovative use of modern materials make it more cost efficient than any other kind of deep-diving submersible. The company says the Titan was constructed with a combination of ground-breaking engineering and off-the-shelf technology that gives the vessel a unique advantage over other deep diving subs.
