09/11/2026
On September 11, 2001, I was 20 years old and on a boat, thousands of miles away from New York.
I remember that day. But even now, it’s hard to fully comprehend what unfolded on the waters around Manhattan.
When the roads, bridges and tunnels were shut down, the maritime industry did what it has always done when people need help — it went to work.
Tugboats, ferries, dinner boats, tour boats and private vessels answered the call. Captains, deckhands, engineers and crews didn’t wait around for recognition. They saw people who needed a way out, and they used what they had to get them to safety.
That says something about this industry and the people who make their living on the water.
Mariners can joke, talk trash, argue and give each other hell all day long. Different companies. Different boats. Different backgrounds.
But when things get real, all of that gets put aside.
We come together. We solve problems. We move people. We move supplies. We answer the call.
The maritime response on 9/11 remains one of the greatest examples of what mariners can accomplish collectively when everything is on the line.
I’ve spent my life around this industry, and that part of 9/11 has always hit home with me.
Hats off to every captain, deckhand, engineer, dispatcher, dockworker and vessel owner who stepped up that day — and to every firefighter, police officer, first responder and ordinary American who did the same.
That day showed America something those of us on the water already know:
When the call comes, mariners show up.
We remember those we lost.
We remember those who answered.
🇺🇸 Never Forget. 9/11/2001
Tom Hanks narrates the epic story of the 9/11 boatlift that evacuat...
