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The wife of OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, Wendy Rush, has a direct link to the 1912 Titanic disaster,
Mrs Rush, whose husband is currently missing on the vanished Titan submersible, is a descendant of a wealthy New York couple who drowned when the famed ship sank.
According to Daily Mail, Wendy's great-great-grandparents Isidor and Ida Straus died on the ship in 1912.
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Isidor was a co-founder of Macy's department store, and according to The National Archives, the couple boarded the Titanic while travelling back to the US after visiting their native Germany.
The couple were accompanied by their newly-appointed maid Ellen Bird, and Isidor’s manservant, John Farthing.
While the Straus’ usually travelled on German vessels, the lure of the newly-commissioned Titanic and all the luxury she could offer probably proved too much of a temptation for the journey home.
On the night of 14 April, after Titanic had hit the iceberg, Isidor and Ida were directed to lifeboat eight.
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However, Isidor refused to board the lifeboat as he saw younger men were being prevented from boarding.
Subsequently, Ida also refused to get into the lifeboat, opting to stay with her partner.
Instead, her maid was put into the lifeboat, and Ida gave Ellen her fur mink coat to keep her warm as they awaited rescue.
The couple were last seen together on deck holding hands before a wave swept them into the sea.
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The CS Mackay-Bennett recovered Isidor’s body, and he was buried in New York’s Woodlawn Cemetery.
Ida’s body was never recovered.
Isidor’s manservant John died on the ship, and his body was also never recovered.
Ida's maid Ellen survived and died in 1949.
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The couple were also featured in James Cameron's 1997 film about the disaster.
In the film, the characters were shown embraced on a bed as water gushed into the ship and around them.
OceanGate's Titan submarine was reported missing on June 18.
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The submersible, launched from the Canadian Research Vessel Polar Prince, disappeared with five people on board who were diving to view the wreckage of the Titanic.
Along with Rush, those on board are British billionaire adventurer Hamish Harding, along with Shahzada Dawood, his son Suleman, reportedly together with French submersible pilot Paul-Henri Nargeolet.
The submarine was launched at 8am local time on June 18.
It was expected to resurface at 3pm, but the Titan submarine lost contact with its surface vessel one hour and 45 minutes into the dive.
According to the BBC, the sub's breathing air supply is expected to run out Thursday, June 22, at around 6am local time.
Topics: News, World News, Titanic
Charisa Bossinakis