Stockton Rush is President and Founder of OceanGate Expeditions. Rush oversaw the development of OceanGate Inc.‘s 4,000 meter (13,123 feet) capable crewed submersible, Titan, and its patented launch and recovery platform. He is also our Chief Submersible Pilot and has completed 9 dives to the Titanic wreck site as of 2022.
Before venturing into the world of ocean exploration, Rush became the youngest jet transport rated pilot in the world when he obtained his DC-8 Type/Captain’s rating at the United Airlines Jet Training Institute in 1981 at the age of 19. He served as a DC-8 first officer during college summers, flying out of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for Overseas National Airways under a subcontract from Saudi Arabian Airlines. Over the course of three summers, Rush flew to locations such as Cairo, Damascus, Bombay, London, Zurich, and Khartoum. In 1984, Rush joined the McDonnell Douglas Corporation as a Flight Test Engineer on the F-15 program. During this time, he spent two years at Edwards Air Force Base on the APG-63 radar test program and then on the Anti-Satellite Missile Program as the sole full-time representative of McDonnell Douglas.
Over the past 20 years, Rush has overseen the development of multiple successful IP ventures. He served on the Board of Directors for Seattle’s BlueView Technologies, a manufacturer of small, high-frequency sonar systems. In 2012, Rush was involved in the company’s acquisition by Teledyne Inc, a leading provider of cutting-edge subsea technologies. He has served as board member for Entomo, an enterprise software developer focused on post-sale channel management and financial reporting, and as Chairman of Remote Control Technology, Inc. (RCT), a manufacturer of wireless remote-control devices for several Fortune 500 industrial clients, including Exxon, Conoco-Philips and Boeing. He served on the Board of Trustees of the Museum of Flight in Seattle from 2003-2007, chairing the Development Committee from 2006-2007.
In 1989, Rush personally built a Glasair III experimental aircraft, which he still owns and flies. He completed a heavily modified Kittredge K-350 two-man submersible, in which he has conducted over 30 dives to date.
He obtained his BSE in Aerospace Engineering from Princeton University in 1984, and his MBA from the U.C. Berkeley Haas School of Business in 1989.
Rush is also a co-founder and member of the Board of Trustees of OceanGate Foundation (2012), a non-profit organization which aims to catalyze emerging marine technology to further discoveries in marine science, history, and archaeology.
Next Dream Dive Location: Exploring the hydrothermal vents of the Azores