OceanGate tragedy shares eerie link to couple who died in Titanic shipwreck
One of the most iconic love stories from the Titanic has a bizarre link to the ill-fated Titan submersible, as revealed in Netflix's Titan: The Oceangate Disaster.
Isidor and Ida Straus were renowned for their unwavering unity on the sinking Titanic back in 1912. Ida famously declared in their final moments: "I will not be separated from my husband. As we have lived, so we will die together."
Eyewitnesses recounted seeing them clasping hands as the ship went down.
This tender scene was captured in James Cameron's blockbuster film, Titanic, showing an elderly couple holding each other tight as the vessel sank.
Intriguingly, Wendy Rush, the wife of the late Titan innovator Stockton Rush, is the great-great-granddaughter of the devoted Straus pair.
According to her LinkedIn, Wendy holds the role of director of communications at OceanGate, reports the Irish Star.
Tragically, the Titan's voyage claimed the lives of Stockton Rush, Paul-Henri Nargeolet, Hamish Harding, Shahzada Dawood, and Suleman Dawood, when it imploded underwater in 2023.
Since tying the knot in 1986, Wendy and Stockton shared an extraordinary connection to the Titanic's history. With three expeditions to the site of the RMS Titanic wreckage, which lies deep in the North Atlantic, Wendy continues to honour their legacy.
Wendy's maiden name reflects this lineage. Born Wendy Hollings Weil, she descends from Minnie Straus Weil, the progeny of Isidor and Ida Straus.
The German-born couple, long-time American residents, were already in their golden years – 67 and 63 respectively – when tragedy struck on the Titanic.
Documents at the National Archives reveal that the venerable Strauses were travelling back from a trip to Germany with Ida's maid, Ellen Bird, and Isidor's valet, John Farthing, when the catastrophe occurred.
Isidor launched his successful retail venture by leasing space in Macy's in 1888. By 1896, he and his brother Nathan had taken full ownership, and he even served as a US Congressman.
Ida's loyal maid, survivor Ellen, later recounted the last wrenching moments she spent with the couple. She recalled Ida, in the midst of chaos, entrusting her luxurious mink coat to Ellen, stating she would have no further use for it.
In later years, Ellen endeavoured to present the cherished mink back to the Straus heirs, but they respectfully refused it.
While searchers recuperated Isidor's body, Ida's was claimed by the ocean. An inscription at their New York mausoleum poignantly reflects their love: "Many waters cannot quench love - neither can floods drown it."
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