A pictorial list of all the vessels I served aboard  

1959 - SS Old Colony Mariner C4 Mariner class breakbulk freighter

Sailed to Japan and back at ages 4 and 6 as a passenger.  
These voyages were the origin of my love of the sea and ships.
Voyages: Across the Pacific and back.

1971-73 USCGC Jarvis
378 ft high endurance cutter

My first ship. Sailed as Seaman Apprentice up to QM3
Voyages: Nola to Baltimore to Panama to San Diego to Hawaii. 
3 Ocean Station Novembers and 2 Alaska Patrols.

1973 - USCGC Apalachee
110 ft icebreaking tug

QM3.  I was assigned here for a few months and then transferred to the Edisto.

Voyages: Chesapeake Bay

1973-1974 USCGC Edisto
269 ft wind class icebreaker

QM3.  Served during two Arctic patrols on both sides of Greenland during both the winter and summer.

Voyages: Iceland, Greenland Sea, Labrador, Scotland.

1974-75 USCGC Northwind 269 ft wind class icebreaker

QM3.  Helped re-commision the vessel after a major refit in Baltimore. 

Completed my 4-year active enlistment in the USCG.

1976 - NOAA Ship Surveyor
292 ft survey vessel

Quartermaster.  The vessel was engaged in a survey of the intertidal zones of Alaska in preparation for the opening of the Valdez oil terminal.

Voyages: SE, SW, and Western Alaska and the Bering Sea.

1977 - NOAA Ship Davidson
175 ft survey vessel

Quartermaster.  We conducted a chart adequacy survey of Northern San Francisco Bay up to Rio Vista and then conducted the first survey of Yakutat Bay, Alaska since the 1890's.
Voyages: Seattle, San Francisco, SE Alaska, Yakutat.

1977-78 R/V Hero
125 ft wooden-hulled motorsailing Antarctic research vessel

AB Seaman and Zodiac Skiff operator.  The Hero was a historic 125-foot wooden-hulled motor sailer conducting research for the National Science Foundation and carrying personnel and supplies to and from Palmer Station in the Antarctic as part of Operation Deep Freeze.
Voyages: Talcahuano, Chile, Ushuaia, Argentina, South Shetland Islands, Anvers Island, Antarctica, Cape Horn, Drake Passage.

1978 - NOAA Ship McArthur
175 ft survey vessel

Quartermaster.  We conducted a tidal current survey of Northern Puget Sound and the Straits of Juan de Fuca.
Voyages: Puget Sound

1979 - WT Preston
163 ft snag boat stern wheeler

AB Seaman aboard this historic paddle wheel snag boat. 
We operated throughout Puget Sound and up several rivers, removing logs, snags, and debris.
Voyages: Puget Sound

1979 - M/V Puget
104 ft snag boat

AB Seaman as we operated throughout Puget Sound, removing logs, snags, and debris.
Voyages: Puget Sound

1980 - VLCC Maryland
1,115 ft VLCC oil tanker

AB Seaman.  265,000 DWT VLCC on the Valdez - Panama run.  1,115 feet long; 174 ft beam; and a 65-foot draft.
Voyages: San Pedro, CA, Valdez, AK, Puerto Armuelles, Panama, San Francisco, CA

1980 - M/V Pribilof
220 ft break-bulk freighter

AB Seaman.  Freighter running between Seattle, Dutch Harbor, and the Pribilof Islands.
Voyages: Seattle, Dutch Harbor, St George, and St Paul Island, Bering Sea

1981 - Northstar III
455 ft break-bulk freighter - Victory Ship

AB Seaman preparing this historic vessel for what turned out to be its last voyage.  I signed off before it sailed to pursue studies for my 3rd Mate's license.

1981 - Salmon Tender Makaka
110 ft salmon tender

Chief Mate.  My first voyage as an officer.  We sailed the inside waters of SE Alaska and participated in the salmon fishery, delivering fish to the NEFCO-Fidalgo cannery in Ketchikan, Alaska.
Voyages: Anacortes, Ketchikan, Craig, Seattle.

1982 - ITB Sea Skimmer
450 ft integrated tug barge

Chief Mate.  We were on a regular run carrying gasoline from Corpus Christi, Texas, to Jacksonville, Florida.
Voyages: Corpus Christi, TX to Jacksonville, FL via the Straits of Florida.

1982 - Tug Barbara Andrie
125 ft tug

Chief Mate / Relief Master.  Towing hopper dredging barges, cargo and crane barges.  Pulling and setting anchors.
Voyages: Port Everglades, FL to Virginia Beach & Norfolk, VA.

1982 - Tug Viking
110 ft tug

Master.  Towing a tandem tow of barges.
Voyages: Montréal, Canada to Booth Bay Harbor, Maine.

1982 - Tug Portland
125 ft tug

2nd Mate.  Towing tandem rail barges. A regular run.
Voyages: Prince Rupert, Canada to Whittier, Alaska

1982-86 R/V Robert D. Conrad
209 ft geophysical research vessel

3rd Mate, 2nd Mate, Chief Mate.  I served here for 4 years, advancing my license and seeing much of the world.  
Voyages: Hawaii, Panama, Florida, Barbados, Bahamas, Bermuda, Halifax, St. John's, Greenland, Norway, France, Italy, Greece, Egypt, Guam, Hong Kong, Singapore, New York, Mexico

1987- 1990 M/V Sunmar Sky
257 ft break-bulk freighter

One voyage as Chief Mate, many voyages as Master.  Freighter carrying general cargo northbound and frozen seafood products southbound.  In addition to many other voyages, we made two voyages into the Bering Sea ice pack in order to conduct at-sea transfers of frozen cod from a Polish mother ship. 
Voyages: Seattle, Ketchikan, Kodiak, Sand Point, Cold Bay, Dutch Harbor, St. Paul, Naknek, St Matthews Island

1990 - Ocean Phoenix
680 ft  fish processing factory ship

2nd Mate, Chief Mate.  Former container ship converted to a Surimi factory ship working with a fleet of catcher boats in the Bering Sea.
Voyages: Dutch Harbor, Bering Sea

1990 - Cory Chouest
265 ft research vessel

Chief Mate.  Vessel was conducting LFAA research and testing in the North Pacific near Japan.

Voyages: Honolulu, Hawaii, Yokohama, Japan, North Pacific.

1990-91 Cape Catawba
486 ft break bulk freighter

2nd Mate.  The ship was part of the RRDF and was broken out for Operation Desert Storm.  We sailed to Ad Dammam, Saudi Arabia, carrying military cargo.  We passed through Suez the night the bombing of Baghdad began and weathered a Scud missile attack in Ad Dammam, and then sailed to Okinawa to load bombs.  When the war ended, we anchored in Singapore.
Voyages: Beaumont, TX, New Orleans, Mediterranean, Suez, Red Sea, Str. of Hormuz, Saudi Arabia, Okinawa, Singapore

1991 - Windward Sentry
190 ft aerostat vessel

2nd Mate.  Anti-drug smuggling surveillance vessel working with the US Coast Guard.
Voyages: Key West, Caribbean

1992 - Pacific Sentry
190 ft aerostat vessel

Chief Mate.   Anti-drug smuggling surveillance vessel working with the US Coast Guard.
Voyages: Key West, Caribbean, Puerto Rico, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba

1992 - RVIB N. B. Palmer
308 ft Antarctic icebreaking research vessel

2nd Mate. Maiden voyage of the Palmer.  Departing Louisiana, we sailed south and went deep into the Weddell Sea, resupplying a Russian-American Ice Research Station.
Voyages: Port Fourchon, LA, Panama Canal, Valparaíso, Chile, Punta Arenas, Chile, Weddell Sea
 

1993-94 Washington Responder
208 ft oil spill clean-up vessel

Chief Mate / Relief Master.  Oil spill clean-up vessel.  Conducting drills and exercises, maintaining constant readiness.
Voyages: Puget Sound, Straits of Juan de Fuca, North Pacific

1994 Victoria Clipper IV
115 ft high-speed passenger vessel

Chief Mate.  High-speed passenger ferry running between Seattle and Victoria.

Voyages: Puget Sound, Straits of Juan de Fuca, Victoria, Seattle

 1994 - Pembina
324 ft break-bulk freighter - ammo ship

Chief Mate.  Ammo ship.  We loaded shells, missiles, and explosives in West Loc, Pearl Harbor, and transported them to Concord, California.
Voyages: Alameda, CA, Pearl Harbor, HI, Concord, CA, North Pacific

1995 - Spirit of Alaska
143 ft small cruise vessel

Chief Mate / Relief Master.  Small Cruise ship carrying 100 passengers from Seattle up the Inside Passage to Ketchikan, Petersburg, Wrangell, Sitka, Juneau, and Glacier Bay.
Voyages: Seattle, BC, SE Alaska

2002 - Moana Wave
210 ft survey vessel

Chief Mate.  Conducting NOAA-contracted chart surveys in the Gulf of Mexico along the Florida, Louisiana, and Texas coasts.
Voyages: Mobile, AL, Pensacola, FL, Texas

2003-04 DB-50
497 ft DP heavy lift & pipelay vessel

2nd Mate / DPO.  Installing Spar oil production platforms and pipelay in the Gulf of Mexico off the Louisiana coast.  The DB-50 has an air ballast system that is used to compensate for the swinging of the 900-ton derrick boom and a heavy-lift capacity of 5000 tons. 
Voyages: Mobile, AL, Louisiana, Gulf of Mexico

2004 - Pelagic - 35 ft whale watching vessel

Captain.  Operating whale-watching vessels in the San Juan Islands of Washington State.  Taking passengers on voyages to observe Orcas, Humpbacks, Minkies, porpoises, seals, eagles, and other wildlife in the islands along the Canadian border.
Voyages: Orcas Island, San Juans, Gulf Islands, US and Canada

2005-06 DB-101
480 ft semi-submersible heavy lift vessel

2nd Mate, Chief Mate, BCO.  Installing oil production platforms in the Bay of Campeche, Mexico.  We carried around 250 personnel aboard. The vessel was over 30 years old but of a very innovative and effective semi-submersible design.
 Voyages: Ciudad del Carmen, Veracruz, Mexico, Bahia de Campeche

2006 - DP-MODU Ocean Confidence
320 ft DP semi-submersible oil drilling vessel

DPO.  Standing DP watch on Nautronics DP system.  Assisting BCO.  The rig was drilling a 29,000-foot well in 6,800 feet of water in the Walker Ridge block area.
Voyages: Gulf of Mexico, Walker Ridge area.

2006-07 Chloe Candies
280 ft DP ROV vessel

3rd Captain / DPO.  Commissioning a new ROV vessel, we operated in the Gulf of Mexico, supporting operations at the BP Thunderhorse PDQ platform.  Equipped with Z-Drives and DP-II equipment, the Chloe is extremely maneuverable.
Voyages: Port Fourchon, Houma, Galveston, Gulf of Mexico

2007 - Alucia
183 ft expedition vessel

Master.  Vessel was undergoing conversion in Seattle. I was involved with Project management, ISM, operational planning, quality control, team building, and procurement.  The project was put into hibernation due to construction and funding delays.

2007 - BGP Pioneer
270 ft seismic vessel

Master.  3D Seismic Survey Vessel conducting survey operations off of the coast of Ghana.  Upon concluding operations, we sailed north to Las Palmas in the Canary Islands for a yard period.
Voyages: West Africa, Takoradi, Ghana, Las Palmas, Spain

2007-08 Celia Candies / Emily Candies
260 ft DP platform supply vessels

Mate / DPO.  Sailing as an additional mate to gain experience with z-drive vessels while awaiting the completion of a new ROV vessel to which I am to be assigned.
Voyages: Gulf of Mexico, Port Fourchon, Grand Isle

2008 - Chloe Candies
280 ft DP ROV vessel

3rd Captain / DPO.   ROV vessel, we operate in the Gulf of Mexico under contract with Saipem America, carrying out subsea construction.  Equipped with Z-Drives and DP-II equipment, the Chloe is extremely maneuverable.
Voyages: Port Fourchon, Houma, Galveston, Gulf of Mexico

2008 - DSV Epic Diver
213 ft DP dive support vessel

Master.  Vessel was carrying out saturation diving, repairing pipelines off the eastern Mississippi River Delta damaged by submarine landslides caused by hurricanes, as well as surface diving repairs on the Chevron Petronius platform in the Viosca Knoll area. 
Voyages: Gulf of Mexico, Port Fourchon

2008-09 MPV Global Orion
300 ft DP dive support & ROV vessel

Master.  Commissioned newly purchased, reflagged, and reclassed Multi-Purpose Vessel equipped with ROV, saturation diving, and a heave compensated 150 ton crane.  Vessel conducted post-hurricane survey work, demolition of collapsed platforms, and capping of wells in the offshore Louisiana area, working for Chevron.
Voyages: Gulf of Mexico, Calcasieu River, Lake Charles, Port Fourchon

2009-11 DSV Mystic Viking
252 ft DP dive support vessel

Master.  Dive Support Vessel carrying out saturation diving, doing inspection, maintenance, repair, and installation work all over the US Gulf of Mexico, working for a wide variety of clients and oil majors. 
Voyages: Gulf of Mexico, Port Fourchon

2011-12 DSV Kestrel
323 ft DP dive support & ROV vessel

Master.  Dive Support Vessel carrying out saturation diving, doing inspection, maintenance, repair, and installation work all over the US Gulf of Mexico, working for a wide variety of clients and oil majors.
Voyages: Gulf of Mexico, Galveston, Pensacola, Mobile, Brownsville.

2012-15 MPSV Swordfish
340 ft DP dive support, ROV, and Subsea construction vessel

Master.  Dive Support, ROV, and Subsea Construction Vessel carrying out saturation diving, doing inspection, maintenance, repair, and installation work all over the US Gulf of Mexico, working for a wide variety of clients and oil majors. Vessel equipped with a 150 ton and a 70-ton active heave-compensated crane. 
Voyages: Gulf of Mexico, Galveston, Port Fourchon, Bay of Campeche

2015-16  AMC Ambassador
216 ft IMR / ROV Vessel

Master.  Carrying out ROV in the US Gulf of Mexico working for Noble and EMAS. 42 person crew. Employed by Gallatin Marine working in the US Gulf of Mexico.
Voyages: Gulf of Mexico, Port Fourchon

2016-18 Safari Voyager
172 ft Adventure Cruising Vessel

Master.  Adventure cruising with UnCruise Adventures operating in Central America in the Pacific and Caribbean, taking guests on expeditions to remote areas.  Managing an international crew.  The vessel carried four inflatable skiffs and a full complement of kayaks and paddle boards, engaging in Eco-Tourism. 
Voyages: Seattle, Astoria, Costa Rica, Panama, and the Panama Canal.

2018-2024 R/V Kilo Moana
192 ft SWATH Design Research Vessel

Master.  UNOLS scientific research vessel operated by the University of Hawaii.  Conducting National Science Foundation-funded research expeditions around Hawaii and in the Pacific Ocean basin.
Voyages: Hawaii, Alaska, US West Coast, Mexico, Guam, Tahiti

2024-25 M/V Berto Miller
180 ft Offshore Supply Vessel

Captain.  A Staten Island based small OSV working in support of the wind farm industry off of Rhode Island.
Voyages: New York Harbor, Providence, Fall River.

2025- Present MPSV Chester Morrison
260 ft Dive Support Vessel

Master.  A former OSV under conversion into a DSV in Houma and Amelia, Louisiana.