Crowley Maritime is trumpeting a rare case of an all-female officer bridge watch.
From 25 January to 5 February 2019, the three officers stood watch on the bridge of the missile range instrumentation ship USNS Howard O Lorenzen, the US shipowner and manager said.
The Military Sealift Command vessel is operated by Crowley with a crew of 31 civilian US mariners, including seven women.
The three female officers making the historic first were: Ashley Markey, second mate, 27, Hannah Jette, third mate, 26 and Michelle Danhof, third mate, 27.
“We didn’t realize at the time it was an all-female bridge crew because we’re all a team,” said Jette, who has sailed for three years, including one year aboard the Lorenzen.
“I have other female sailors I know, and two or three women on cargo. There really isn’t any closing of any doors.”
“I have watch officers I know I can depend on at all times,” said Captain Robert Wiechert, who was master of the Lorenzen during their watch.
“They have been, and continue to be, assets to this vessel and the program.”
Crowley says that a s members of the American Maritime Officers union, the decision on who is assigned rotations on ships can often be outside of its influence.
“While a ship with multiple female crew members may be a rarity, the culture and operations on the Lorenzen reduce potential friction in a male-dominated industry when it does occur,” the mariners said.
Danhof, who has spent two of her three years at sea aboard the Lorenzen, said the company “definitely does not tolerate being a bad shipmate to another shipmate,”
“As a female you are in a close quarters’ environment, and definitely have to be aware of your surroundings and the people you work with, including contractors and military. It starts from the top down. Both captains set the standard for what they tolerate and don’t.”
“In the process of working for Crowley, the female officers have learned and leveraged lessons about leadership and teamwork that have helped them succeed as women in maritime logistics,” Crowley said in a blog on its website.
“They said they’ve learned to recognize the contributions they can make on board a ship – and so are more women, who they’ve seen increasingly show interest in attending one of the maritime academies.”
But it hasn’t been plain sailing for Jette, a 2016 graduate of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, who recalled a guidance counselor cautioning her against it saying “you will never make it through”.
“I’d never want anyone to think that their gender holds them back,” Jette said. “There have been times I didn’t speak up for myself and people have judged me on my looks and my gender.
“And I have learned from those mistakes and experiences. I’ve become a leader and I have learned to speak up and be confrontational when I need to be speaking up.”
The trio also have high hopes for a lengthy career in the maritime sector and they foresee continuing their careers at Crowley, where they want to eventually earn the rank of captain and master of their own ship.
“It meant a lot to me to be able to serve with an amazing female watch team,” said Markey, a US Merchant Marine Academy graduate who attended a military high school in Delaware.
“It really shows how the industry is changing and adapting to the increase in women choosing this career path.
“Crowley has always been there, along with my captains, helping me to advance my career in any way they can.”
This story has been amended since publication to reflect that this is a rare case of an all-femail bridge watch, rather than an industry first.
