The CEO of OceanGate and pilot of its submersible, Titan, may have succumbed to an unfortunate fate. Reports on Thursday reveal that there are no signs of the submersible, and oxygen supply is expected to have run out. The tragic incident not only affects the OceanGate team but also hits close to home for the company’s Director of Communications, Wendy Rush. Two of her ancestors were on board the Titanic when it sank in 1912. Wendy’s great-great-grandparents are Isidor and Ida Straus, the founders of Macy’s department store. While Isidor’s body was recovered at sea, his wife’s was not.
According to survivors, Isidor refused to board a lifeboat and decided that women and children should go first. Ida refused to leave his side. In the 1997 movie Titanic, the elderly couple who embraced each other as the water rose around them represents the Strauss’ fate. Wendy’s connection to the tragic event extends further than her family. OceanGate allows expeditions to visit the wreckage of the Titanic lying 12,500 feet below sea level, where the submersible Titan conducted its last mission.
Currently, chances of finding the submersible in time, along with the commander and his team, are grim. Wendy Rush and her family have had to endure heartbreak twice due to the sinking of the Titanic. Their link to the Titanic tragedy has made headlines and brought into focus the shared history of one of the most significant marine disasters of all time.
