Stockton Rush, an American engineer and businessman, was the CEO of OceanGate. OceanGate is a business renowned for its groundbreaking deep-sea submersible excursions. OceanGate is infamous for the Titan submersible used for exploring the Titanic wreckage. Stockton Rush was also on board the Titan and sadly, lost his life in June 2023 while on the Titanic exploration. Since the accident, a number of allegations regarding the Titan’s safety from former passengers and industry watchers have put Rush in the public eye.
Stockton Rush Biography
Richard Stockton Rush III was an American businessman and the CEO and co-founder of the deep-sea exploration firm OceanGate. He was born on the 31st of March in 1962 in San Francisco, California, USA. Stockton and four other people died in the Titan submersible implosion on June 18, 2023 in the North Atlantic Ocean while attempting to see the Titanic wreckage in OceanGate’s Titan submersible. He followed Christianity as his religion.
| Attributes | Details |
| Name | Stockton Rush |
| Full Name | Richard Stockton Rush III |
| Date of Birth | 31st March, 1962 |
| Place of Birth | San Francisco, California, United States of America |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | White |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Sexuality | Heterosexual |
| Profession | Businessman, Engineer |
| Known For | CEO of OceanGate and Titan Crash |
| Death | 18th June, 2023 |
Stockton Rush Age and Appearance
Stockton Rush, the CEO of OceanGate, was 61 years old when he passed away. His zodiac sign was Aries. He was built lean with his height being approximately 5 feet 11 inch. His hair was greying and frequently combed neatly. He has blue eyes. He always has a clean shaven look. His weight remains unknown.
| Appearance | Details |
| Age | 61 years old at the time of death |
| Zodiac sign | Aries |
| Body | Lean |
| Height | 5 feet 11 inch |
| Height (in cms) | 180 cms |
| Weight | Not known |
| Hair Colour | Grey |
| Facial Hair | Clean Shaven |
| Eye Colour | Blue |
Stockton Rush Family
Ellen Rush is the mother of Stockton Rush and Richard Stockton Rush Jr. is his father. At the Peregrine Oil and Gas Company in Burlingame, California, his father served as chairman. The date of his father’s death was December 31, 1999. Rush’s maternal grandfather was an extremely wealthy shipping mogul from San Francisco. His name was Ralph K. Davies. Louise M. Davies, his maternal grandmother, was a philanthropist.
Rush is the youngest of the 5 siblings. Only 2 of his siblings’ names are known, Deborah and Catherine.
| Family Members | Name | Occupation |
| Father | Richard Stockton Rush Jr. | Chairman of the Peregrine Oil and Gas Company |
| Mother | Ellen Rush | – |
| Maternal Grandfather | Ralph K. Davies | Wealthy shipping mogul |
| Maternal Grandmother | Louise M. Davies | Philanthropist |
| Sister | Deborah | – |
| Sister | Catherine | – |
Stockton Rush Wife and Children
Stockton Rush’s wife’s name is Wendy Weil. They both got married in 1986. She is descended from Isidor and Ida Straus, who perished in the 1912 Titanic disaster. Wendy, who was on board the Polar Prince, the Titan expedition’s support ship, at the time of the tragic dive, was OceanGate’s Director of Communications.
Ben Rush and Quincy Rush are the two children of Stockton Rush and his wife, Wendy. Princeton University is where Ben Rush studies. Quincy Rush works as a legal clerk in the Central District of California at the United States District Court.
| Family Members | Name | Occupation |
| Wife | Wendy Weil Rush | Pilot and OceanGate’s Director of Communications |
| Daughter | Quincy Rush | Legal clerk at the Central District of California |
| Son | Ben Rush | Student at Princeton University |
Stockton Rush Early Life and Education
Rush was exposed to a combination of industrial success and intellectual heritage while growing up in San Francisco. By the age of twelve, he started scuba diving and by eighteen, he was a commercial pilot. Later, he was informed that his poor vision would prevent him from achieving his ambition of being the first person to set foot on Mars. Prior to attending Princeton University and earning his degree in aeronautical engineering in 1984, he attended the esteemed preparatory school Phillips Exeter Academy. In 1989, he earned an MBA from the University of California, Berkeley, continuing his academic career.
| Education | Details | Degree |
| School | Phillips Exeter Academy | – |
| College | Princeton University | Aeronautical Engineering Degree |
| University | University of California, Berkeley | MBA |
Stockton Rush Career
Rush started a profession that combined engineering and entrepreneurship after finishing his studies. He started off working on the F-15 Eagle aircraft program at McDonnell Douglas as a flight-test engineer. He became the youngest jet transport-rated pilot at the age of 19 because of his love for flying.
In the late 1980s, Rush transitioned to the IT industry while serving as a venture capitalist with Peregrine Partners in San Francisco. In order to run Remote Control Technology in the Pacific Northwest, he later moved to Kirkland, Washington.
Stockton Rush’s interest in deep water exploration began in 2006 or 2007. He started to consider buying a submersible but he was unable to do so after learning that there were only 100 privately owned submersibles worldwide. Suds, Rush’s first submersible, was 4 meters long and could descend to a depth of 10 meters.
Stockton Rush’s OceanGate
Stockton Rush and Guillermo Sohnlein created OceanGate in August 2009. In order to promote the development of new deep-diving submersibles that would facilitate business endeavours such as resource extraction and disaster relief, this firm would employ commercial submersibles. In 2013, Sohnlein departed OceanGate.
Rush experienced a “meltdown” after becoming stranded on the wreck of the Andrea Doria in June 2016, while he was on Cyclops 1 to observe the wreckage. Later, David Lochridge released the sub.
Stockton Rush piloted OceanGate’s Titan submarine to see the Titanic wreckage on June 18, 2023, after the ship lost communication with its support ship, MV Polar Prince, later that same day.
The Titan’s disappearance sparked a global search and rescue effort, which was followed by a recovery effort. The Coast Guard said on June 22 that the tail cone and other pieces of the Titan were discovered on the ocean floor, approximately 1,600 feet away from the Titanic’s wreck. Rush, a British businessman named Hamish Harding, a French diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet, and a Pakistani businessman and his son, Shahzada and Suleman Dawood were aboard the submersible and all lost their lives.
Stockton Rush Net Worth
Stockton Rush’ net worth was reported to have been $25 million at the time of his death. His endeavours into deep-sea exploration and aerospace made him wealthy. Another factor contributing to Stockton Rush’s net worth also includes his family’s wealth which began with his grandfather. Although OceanGate’s precise valuation isn’t publicly disclosed, analysts believe it to be about $66 million. The company’s annual revenue is around $9.7 million.
Below is a timeline of Stockton Rush’s net worth since 2018
| Year | Net Worth |
| 2018 | $15 Million |
| 2019 | $16 Million |
| 2020 | $18 Million |
| 2021 | $20 Million |
| 2022 | $22 Million |
| 2023 | $25 Million |
Conclusion
From the skies as a young pilot to the ocean’s depths as a co-founder of OceanGate, Stockton Rush was a fearless inventor who devoted his life to expanding the frontiers of exploration. But his bold quest for innovation also brought criticism, especially in light of safety issues with OceanGate’s Titan submersible. A bold legacy came to a sombre end in 2023 with the tragic implosion of the Titan that claimed his life.
FAQs
A1. Stockton Rush was an American engineer and businessman. He was the CEO of OceanGate.
A2. Stockton Rush’s net worth at the time of his death was $25 Million.
A3. Stockton Rush died on 18th June, 2023 when his submersible exploded in the North Atlantic Ocean.
A4. Stockton Rush married Wendy Weil in 1986.
A5. Stockton Rush’s full name is Richard Stockton Rush III.
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