Wife of Missing Titanic Submarine Pilot Is the Descendant of a Famous Titanic Couple

The disappearance of OceanGate's Titan submersible this week has drawn headlines around the world. The company's CEO, Stockton Rush, helped pilot the company's machine on its way to the depths of the North Atlantic to see the Titanic wreckage firsthand. It turns out his connection to the famous shipwreck goes beyond just adventurous curiosity.

The chief executive's wife, Wendy Rush, has ties to the original Titanic voyage over a century ago. According to The New York Times, Wendy is a great-great-granddaughter of Isidor Straus, a retail magnate and co-owner of Macy's department store, and his wife Ida. The Strauses were first-class passengers on the journey from Southampton, England to New York and one of the wealthiest couples aboard the ship.

Wendy herself has gotten to experience a connection to her ancestors; she's participated in three OceanGate expeditions to the Titanic wreckage in the past two years. She currently serves as the company's communications director.

Interestingly enough, the Strauses' story was portrayed in James Cameron's 1997 blockbuster about the great historical event. Survivors of the disaster have recounted how Isidor Straus refused a seat on a lifeboat while women and children were still waiting to get off the sinking ship. Ida, his wife of four decades, stood her ground and vowed to never leave her spouse. "I will not be separated from my husband. As we have lived, so will we die, together," she was reported to have said during her final minutes. The two were last seen standing on the Titanic's deck with their arms locked together as the ship was swallowed by the sea.

In the movie, a violinist aboard the vessel forlornly plays "Nearer, My God, to Thee" as water engulfs the ocean liner and passengers are pulled to their watery grave. This montage features a gripping shot of an older couple embracing in bed as their cabin begins to fill with water. It was a not-so-subtle ode to the Strauses' undying love for each other up until the very end.

The New York Times archives show that Isidor's body was found at sea roughly two weeks after the Titanic sank in April 1912. Ida's remains have never been found.

As for Wendy's own spouse, the search continues for the vessel. Rescue teams revealed that they detected knocking sounds in the vicinity of the sub's disappearance, which may indicate sunk submarine protocol from stranded survivors. However, the vessel is estimated to be running critically short on oxygen.