Portal:United States Merchant Marine/Selected article/7
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Joseph Jeffrey Hazelwood (born 1946) was the captain of the Exxon Valdez during its 1989 oil spill. He was accused of being drunk at the time of the accident, though at trial he was cleared of this charge. Hazelwood was convicted of a misdemeanor charge of negligent discharge of oil, fined $50,000, and sentenced to 1,000 hours of community service. In 1999, the Exxon Valdez oil spill was listed as the 53rd largest spill in history.
Hazelwood was born in Hawkinsville, Georgia, but was raised in Huntington, New York, on the north shore of Long Island. He was the eldest son of, Joseph, a United States Marine Corps torpedo bomber pilot turned airline pilot and Margaret. In 1964, Hazelwood graduated from Huntington High School, where his IQ was tested at 138. As a youth he was an avid sailor and was a member of the Sea Scouts. In May 1968, he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Transportation from the State University of New York Maritime College.He was married in 1969 to Suzanne and has one daughter, Alison, born c.1976.
On June 10, 1968 he was hired as a Third Mate by Humble Oil and Refining Company, which later became Exxon Shipping Company. Hazelwood climbed the ranks of the merchant marine until he obtained a master's license at age 31. By age 32, he was the youngest captain working for Exxon when he took command of Exxon Philadelphia, a California-to-Alaska oil tanker, in 1978. In 1985 he was master of the Exxon Chester when the asphalt carrier ran into a storm during its New York to South Carolina trip. High winds damaged the ship's mast including radar and radio communications antennas. Though the crew was prepared to abandon ship, Hazelwood rallied them and guided the ship to safety. In 1987, he became the alternate master of Exxon Valdez which subsequently received Exxon Fleet safety awards for the year of 1987 and 1988.
Exxon Valdez departed the port of Valdez, Alaska at 9:12 p.m. March 23, 1989 with 53 million gallons of crude oil bound for California. A harbor pilot guided the ship through the Valdez Narrows before departing the ship and returning control to Hazelwood, the ship's master. The ship maneuvered out of the shipping lane to avoid icebergs. Following the maneuver and sometime after 11 p.m., Hazelwood departed the wheel house and was in his stateroom at the time of the accident. He left Third Mate Gregory Cousins in charge of the wheel house and Able Seaman Robert Kagan at the helm with instructions to return to the shipping lane at a prearranged point. Exxon Valdez failed to return to the shipping lanes and struck Bligh Reef at around 12:04 a.m. March 24, 1989. The accident resulted in the discharge of around 11 million gallons of oil, 20% of the cargo, into Prince William Sound.
