Children of Stockton Rush: Meet His Two Children – Richard Stockton Rush III was an American engineer, pilot, and businessman. He was born on March 31, 1962 and was the co-founder and CEO of OceanGate.
Since childhood, Rush to Stockton nurtured the dream of becoming an astronaut. He obtained a commercial pilot’s license in 1980, at the age of 18, coinciding with his graduation from Phillips Exeter Academy.
However, due to limited vision, he focused on working as a flight test engineer for F-15 Eagle jets at McDonnell Douglas in Seattle. He continued to hone his piloting skills and earned his DC-8 Type/Captain rating from the United Airlines Jet Training Institute.
Rush’s quest for knowledge led him to Princeton University, where he graduated in 1984 with a degree in aerospace engineering. He then pursued graduate studies and earned a master’s degree in business administration from the University of California, Berkeley in 1989.
In 2006, Stockton Rush launched an ambitious project to build a miniaturized submersible to explore the depths of Puget Sound. Using components purchased from a private company and plans provided by a retired U.S. Navy submarine commander, he carefully constructed a 12-foot-long vessel that could submerge up to 30 feet underwater. This company demonstrated its ingenuity and passion for underwater exploration.
Rush believed that submersibles were unfairly viewed as dangerous vessels due to their association with commercial diving. He founded OceanGate in 2009 with Guillermo Söhnlein with the goal of revolutionizing underwater exploration and advancing the development of deep-diving submersibles. The company wanted to harness the potential of commercial tourism to support advancements in a variety of sectors, including resource extraction and disaster preparedness.
Stockton Rush’s commitment to scientific research and exploration was evident in his leadership. In 2018, he led an expedition to the San Juan Islands, working with researchers and scientists to study the habitat of the red sea urchin and sand lance. In 2022, he launched a major expedition to explore the remains of the Titanic, encountering technical challenges during the exploration due to control issues.
Richard Stockton Rush III’s pioneering spirit, combined with his technical expertise and entrepreneurial drive, had a profound impact on the fields of aviation and underwater exploration. His enduring legacy continues to inspire future generations to push the boundaries of human achievement in the pursuit of knowledge and discovery. Rush was part of a remarkable expedition aboard the Titan, a submersible owned by OceanGate, Inc., to explore the mysterious wreck of the Titanic. However, tragedy struck when the submersible lost contact with the surface vessel MV Polar Prince on June 18, 2023. The sudden loss of communications triggered an immediate response, initiating search and rescue operations with maritime and air support from the United States, Canada, and France, as multiple nations mobilized to locate the missing vessel and its occupants.
A few days later, on June 22, a significant discovery deepened the sense of sadness and loss. A debris field was discovered approximately 1,600 feet from the bow of the Titanic. OceanGate, Inc. issued a somber announcement expressing its belief that Rush and the four others aboard the submersible had tragically died. The devastating news reverberated throughout the maritime community, with many mourning the loss of these brave souls.
Confirmation of the heartbreaking fate came at a celebratory press conference by the U.S. Coast Guard. Officials acknowledged that the debris found was related to a catastrophic event that resulted in the loss of the submersible’s pressure hull. Sadly, it turned out that all of the people aboard had lost their lives during this deep-sea exploration.
Stockton Rush Children: Meet His Two Children