Mariner Profile – Professional Mariner

Drawn to the sea and the life of a marine engineer

It was his uncle and the work of writer Jack Kerouac, the guru of the ‘50s ‘Beat Generation,’ who got a young Eric White thinking about going to sea in the first place. “My uncle went to Mass Maritime and sailed as well,” he recalls. “I didn’t grow up doing much of anything maritime, but he used to have a…

The long voyage from Glasgow to New Orleans

The steamboat Delta Queen was built in Glasgow on Scotland’s storied Clyde River in 1926 to a classic Mississippi River boat design, broken down into components, and reassembled on the other side of the Atlantic for service on California’s Sacramento River linking San Francisco with the state capital. Twenty years later, a 5,000-mile journey down the California coast, through the…

‘It really is the best job I can imagine’

Nicole Lawrence Major Marine Tours Captain For much of the year, Capt. Nicole Lawrence carries passengers deep into Alaska’s Kenai Fjords National Park. The region is home to pristine, blue-hued glaciers and abundant wildlife with a mesmerizing mountain backdrop. Guests often tell her, once the tour boat returns to the dock, that she has the best job in the world.…

‘A job that’s vital to Alaska’s culture and subsistence’

Brian Lull Crowley Chief mate Brian Lull began his professional career in advertising sales before entering the maritime industry. He quickly rose from ordinary seaman to chief mate, thanks in large part to mentoring and support from his fellow mariners. Lull currently works aboard Crowley’s 1,100-hp River-class tugboat Koolik River, which pushes fuel barges to numerous villages in remote Western…

Following in his father’s footsteps

MARINER PROFILE Capt. John DeCruz Ship Pilot/President Sandy Hook Pilots Association Capt. John DeCruz grew up watching oceangoing ships coming and going into New York Harbor from his hometown of Jersey City, N.J. Perhaps not surprisingly, he chose a career in the maritime industry, following a path blazed by his father and grandfather before him. DeCruz, 52, joined the Sandy Hook Pilots 25…

Earning his place aboard Midnight Sun

MARINER PROFILE Tyler Vanderlip TOTE Services Second Mate — Midnight Sun Tyler Vanderlip grew up in Malibu, Calif., where he spent much of his free time on the water diving, sailing and fishing. Those early pastimes turned into a career working aboard oceangoing ships. Vanderlip, 29, works as the second mate aboard TOTE Services’ roll-on/ roll-off Midnight Sun. The 839-foot…

A problem-solver and road warrier

Profile - Becoming a Mariner Jullian Woods Vane Brothers, AB/Tankerman Years ago, while serving on a U.S. Navy ship docked in Singapore, Jullian Woods chatted with a mariner aboard another vessel berthed nearby. The conversation turned to the pay and autonomy that are possible working in the merchant marine. That conversation stuck with Woods, 41, who now works as an…

‘Don’t let inexperience hold you back’

Profile - Becoming a Mariner Hunter Williams Moran Towing, Mate Hunter Williams was working on a career in the nursing field when she heard about an opening at Moran Towing in her native Baltimore. She had no maritime experience but grew up on the water and worked at her family’s marina in Middle River, Md. Williams, 24, applied and was…

From the U.S. Marines to the merchant marine

Profile - Becoming a Mariner Jonathan Eitz Crowley, Able seaman Jonathan Eitz served in combat with the U.S. Marines, an experience that showed the true meaning of “esprit de corps.” After leaving the service, he sought a career with similar characteristics and structure. “I found it as a mariner,” he said recently. Eitz currently works for Crowley as a maintenance…

‘All issues go through the captain’s office’

Profile - Becoming a Mariner Doug Fisher Pasha Hawaii, Delivery captain As a captain for Pasha Hawaii, Doug Fisher’s primary job involves delivering cargo from Long Beach, Calif., to Honolulu, some 2,500 miles away. Delivering a brand-new ship required a whole different set of skills. Fisher, 60, was delivery captain for George III, Pasha Hawaii’s new 774-foot containership that runs…