Who was Stockton Rush? OceanGate CEO focus of Titan implosion documentary

USA Today

12-06-2025

Who was Stockton Rush? OceanGate CEO focus of Titan implosion documentary
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Newly released footage captures sound of Titan submersible imploding
Newly released video appeared to capture the sound of the Titan submersible imploding on its way to visit the Titanic wreck in June 2023.
Netflix released "Titan: The OceanGate Disaster" on June 11, a week before the two-year anniversary of the 2023 implosion that killed five people on a voyage to view the wreckage of the Titanic.
The documentary focuses on the role of OceanGate CEO Stockon Rush and his role as CEO of OceanGate "his quest to become the next billionaire innovator," according to the documentary's synopsis.
"'Titan: The OceanGate Submersible Disaster' makes a belabored point that OceanGate's failings leading to the implosion stemmed from Rush's leadership," Eric Francisco of Esquire wrote. "His short temper and arrogance permeated in all his efforts to build a business around deep-sea commercial tourism."
There were five people aboard the submersible on June 18, 2023 and were killed in the implosion: Rush, British billionaire Hamish Harding, French maritime and Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet, and a father and son from one of Pakistan's most prominent families, Shahzada Dawood and Suleman Dawood.
A series of hearings were held in 2024 as part of the investigation, and a lawsuit has been filed by the family of Nargeolet, claiming all five passengers probably experienced "terror and anguish" in their final moments.
The hearings revealed one of the final messages sent from the crew before it was crushed by the pressure of the ocean: "All good here."
Here's what you need to know about Stockton Rush.
Who was Stockton Rush?
Rush, 61, was a member of a prominent family in San Francisco and a descendant of two signers of the Declaration of Independence, SF Gate reported at the time of the implosion.
The outlet reported that he was working as an aerospace engineer for McDonnell Douglas when he married his wife Wendy in 1986.
Rush co-founded the company in 2009 and oversaw OceanGate's financial and engineering strategies, company's website said before being taken down in the wake of the implosion, USA TODAY previously reported.
Titan danger: Titanic sub took on extreme danger, while 'breaking the rules'
"We have heard the baseless cries of 'you are going to kill someone' way too often," Rush wrote in 2018 – according to The Conversation – after being told he was putting lives at risk using his experimental submersible. "I take this as a serious personal insult."
In an interview with CBS News Unsung Science, he talked about his dreams of being an explorer − "I wanted to be sort of the Captain Kirk" − and fears about going underwater.
"What I worry about most are things that will stop me from being able to get to the surface," he said.
Still, he insisted on the safety of submersibles and the value of taking risks.
"I mean, if you just want to be safe, don't get out of bed," he said.
What happened to Titan?
The submersible imploded about 1 hour and 45 minutes after its trip began, resulting in the deaths of its five passengers.
Two weeks after the incident, OceanGate said on its website it had suspended "all exploration and commercial operations." Its headquarters in Everett, Washington, were shuttered. Its business license expired on June 7, 2024, according to Washington Department of Revenue records.
The nonprofit research wing of the company, called OceanGate Foundation, was launched in 2010 but also closed in 2023, according to department records.
OceanGate Inc. also operated a subsidiary, OceanGate Expeditions, out of the same office. According to Washington records, it closed on March 31, 2021.
The U.S. Coast Guard continues to investigate what caused the implosion.
Contributing: Elizabeth Weise, Isabella Butera, Phaedra Tepham – USA TODAY