Stockton Rush

Stockton Rush
Rush in 2015
Born
Richard Stockton Rush III

(1962-03-31)March 31, 1962
San Francisco, California, U.S.
DiedJune 18, 2023(2023-06-18) (aged 61)
Cause of death Implosion of Titan submersible
Education
Occupation
  • Businessman
TitleCo-founder and CEO of OceanGate
Term2009–2023
Spouse
Wendy Weil
(m. 1986)
Children2
RelativesRalph K. Davies (grandfather)

Richard Stockton Rush III (March 31, 1962 – June 18, 2023) was an American businessman who was the co-founder and chief executive officer of OceanGate, a deep-sea exploration company.

After graduation from Princeton University, Rush worked for McDonnell Douglas as a flight test engineer on their F-15 program. He later was a board member for BlueView Technologies and the Museum of Flight. In 2009, he created the company OceanGate with Guillermo Söhnlein, who departed the company in 2013.

On June 18, 2023, Rush died along with four others when OceanGate's submersible Titan imploded during an attempt to visit the wreck of the Titanic. A report by the US Coast Guard dated August 4, 2025, found that Rush "exhibited negligence" contributing to the deaths and could have been found criminally liable.