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Like a duck to water

Young Achiever: US Navy Ensign Dan Crouch, 24. (Photo by Akil Simmons)

Ensign Dan Crouch, a Bermudian, and serves in the US Navy aboard oceanographic survey ship

By Cooper Stevenson

The process of applying to colleges and figuring out what you might want to do with your life is a hard one.

However, for Dan Crouch, the decision to attend the State University of New York (SUNY) Maritime College in New York City proved an easy one.

As Dan went through the usual rigmarole of interviews and campus tours in his senior year of high school, one meeting with the Maritime College’s president was enough.

“So you’re telling me I can go to college, get a college degree, and drive boats for a living?” asked Dan. “Yeah, sign me up.”

Four years later the 24-year-old is a third mate aboard the US Navy’s Bruce C Heezen — a Pathfinder class oceanographic survey ship — and an ensign with the United States Navy Reserve.

After returning home this Christmas from deployment — the location of which is classified — Dan reflected on his new life as a deck officer, conducting ocean floor surveys in the Persian Gulf.

While it’s no secret what his ship does, said Dan, what the information is used for is also classified.

Sometimes with diplomatic approval, sometimes without, the Bruce C Heezen uses Hydrographic Survey Launches to map out the contours of the ocean floor in countries around the Gulf.

Conducting operations in one of the world’s most war-torn locales, said Dan, was an eye-opening experience.

“You realise how dangerous the world is, especially where we were,” he said. “I mean, we were in the Persian Gulf a good 65 percent of the time.

“It was very interesting to see how much of a hot bed it was. You could feel how tense it was in the Gulf.

“It’s something that’s hard to explain. There are security guards everywhere, armoured cars and such.

“But for me, thinking as a Bermudian ‘I’m probably the only Bermudian in this mix’. I don’t know if I was or not, but you felt alone. It was pretty scary. I was just kind of beside myself, I guess.”

But it’s not just war-torn countries that present a risk to operations.

On his first deployment to retrieve a National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) buoy, a snagged cable nearly resulted in disaster off the coast of Mayotte, a French island colony between Madagascar and Mozambique.

“The Mayotte government wanted NOAA to come and get it,” said Dan.

That’s where he comes in.

“It was actually one of my first jobs. I was in charge of the deck as we tried to get this massive buoy on board.

“When I’m on deck, I am regarded as the safety officer. I am in charge of all the deck operations.

“I need to be constantly aware if a wire’s going to break and is under too much pressure, or someone is standing in a bite of a line, you have to get them off.

“You have to ensure the operation moves smoothly and people don’t get killed.

“We rigged up a U-frame, which went all the way back to a snatch block, back to a capstan.

“As we were bringing it on — there was so much weight on the bottom with all the instruments.

“It had two miles of cable which equals thousands of pounds — we actually hooked onto it and the ship swung around, and we were anchored astern to the buoy. The line was taking the strain and it was about to snap.”

Dan added: “Luckily, we had a break preventer, which actually did snap. This was my first job, remember.

“I had to call the captain up on the bridge and tell him what happened and get everyone to stop what they’re doing and get away from the apparatus.”

Despite the dangers, and a total time of two years at sea, Dan encouraged all Bermudians to seek out a maritime life.

“I’ve just always been interested in going out to sea. The whole life interests me.

“As a Bermudian growing up, we go to the beach, snorkelling, spearfishing, sailing, we always had that opportunity when we were younger.

“I guess it was just a natural progression. I really would encourage all Bermudians to seek a maritime profession.”

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