Mariner Profile - Professional Mariner

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…

‘I feel like I am constantly learning’

Profile - Becoming a Mariner Kirsten Buccigrossi, The Great Lakes Towing Co. Training captain & marketing director Some days, Kirsten Buccigrossi focuses on marketing and communications for The Great Lakes Towing Company. Others, she’s out on one of the company’s tugs assisting ships on the Cuyahoga River. Buccigrossi, 36, grew up in Wadsworth, Ohio. She began her maritime career in…

‘Pride in the work and in the company’

Profile - Becoming a Mariner Nick Parks Western Towboat Co., Engineer Nick Parks first got to know Western Towboat Company crews while serving on security boats at Naval Base Kitsap, where he would inspect tugboats and other vessels entering restricted waters. With his four-year naval term winding down, he joined Western crews on a voyage towing a cargo barge between…