Lee Hanson: A Vocation in Maritime Salvage

Vocation: from the Latin “vocare” – “to call” – “a strong feeling of suitability for a particular career; a person’s main occupation, regarded as particularly worthy and requiring great dedication; a trade or profession. ~ Oxford Languages

1993. That was the year that Lee Hanson, fresh out of Sitka High School, raised his first boats at Crescent Harbor and Thomsen Harbor.

While these were relatively straightforward operations, since the boats actually went down “in harbor” this was still a significant landmark – or watermark – for young Hanson.

But the first whispers of what would become his obsession with marine salvage actually began even earlier, in 1984, when the self-described “local boy” became a Certified Scuba Diver.

“I was first certified in Sitka by Bob Boes at Southeast Diving & Sports. I was nine years old. At the time there wasn’t a minimum age, but after my certification, the certifying agency made 12 the minimum age.” Trained as a marine biologist and experienced as a diver, Boes owned and operated that tiny Sitka storefront in the 1980s.

Hanson went on to get Advanced and Rescue Diver certifications through the same agency, but wanted to work as a commercial diver legally. In 1997 he obtained his Commercial Diver Certification from the Association Of Diving Contractors.

Hanson notes with a twinkle that he even made childhood money by regularly diving and cleaning the bottom of boats.

Unfathomable Fascination With Tugs

“I used to watch tugboats going to and from the pulp mill (the Alaska Pulp Corporation, or APC mill, which operated in Sawmill Cove from 1959-1993). I always wanted to work on the tugs.”

But back then, notes Hanson, even to be a deckhand, you had to have what was called a Z-card or a merchant mariner document. You had to have a sponsor, a job and a company to write you a letter. They’d write to the Coast Guard, saying, “We intend to hire this person if you issue him this document.”

“You’d go to Juneau, they’d fingerprint you, you’d be processed and then get your Z-card – a big card, larger than a driver’s license. That was your seaman’s papers, so you could work on tugs and larger boats.”

Hanson had actually worked on a tug, kind of under the table, doing ship assists at the pulp mill in ‘91 or ‘92, before it closed. Then, when he turned 18, George Baggen of Samson Tug and Barge had helpfully written the letter for the young man to get his seaman’s papers.

“So, then I could legally crew on a tugboat and also be diving at the same time.” Hanson did go on to work for Samson and other west coast companies, eventually earning his master of towing vessels.

But Hanson’s “Ah-ha Moment” – the moment when he realized he might actually have a vocation in maritime salvage – came when he read Farley Mowett’s The Grey Seas Under. Written by the Canadian author and environmentalist (who later wrote Never Cry Wolf) and published in 1958, the non-fiction Grey Seas tells about the Atlantic salvage tug Foundation Franklin, which operated in Canada’s maritime provinces from 1930-1948. It’s been identified as one of the few nonfiction books to detail the adventures of a salvage tug and its crews.

Hanson marvels at how the 1958 book miraculously seemed to combine and align all his interests in diving, tugboats, and maritime law – thus, making maritime salvage an attractive career. He shakes his head, visualizing his own collection of books, including many copies of Mowat’s life-changing book.

Working at Samson, he was definitely exposed to the necessary trades. He learned how to operate a crane, load containers and things like that.

As an early teen, he had taken welding courses at UAS. So, the young Hanson had heavy equipment operation, welding, and a working knowledge of maritime law. At 18 or 19, he would often go to the Sitka Courthouse and visit the law library to learn more. And then, there was the diving.

“Finally after reading the book, I realized that all of those things were what you needed to work in salvage. I began to feel like it was what I was meant to do.”

Why Maritime Salvage?

There are many reasons for such a field to exist, says Hanson, including practical, environmental and legal reasons. Sometimes, the legal and environmental reasons may overlap, and sometimes the law is necessary to ensure ethical actions.

Hanson shrugs, “Some people might just do whatever they want if the law wasn’t there. They might just say, you know, morally and ethically, you need to deal with it. But that doesn’t mean it’ll happen. Sometimes you need the law there to make it happen.”

There are folks, Hanson recognizes, who may take years and maybe even never find something that seems like a good fit for them, while he just kind of steadily and miraculously gravitated into this good fit. “Yeah, what I was meant to do, you know, and it comes easy to me.”

Hanson’s legal title is “Salvage Master.” The Salvage Master is the person who has the ultimate authority for the success or failure of the job, who is in charge and has qualified as a master mariner – proficient at all the relevant trades. He maintains he would never be happy just being a diver or a tugboat captain or just an equipment operator.

“I really enjoy them when they’re all part of a larger process. Kind of like a Swiss Army knife.”

The History of Salvage & Admiralty Law

Hanson is also knowledgeable about the history of salvage and what’s known as maritime or admiralty law. He points out that Lloyd’s of London was pivotal in the early stages of intermixing maritime law and the business-side of things.

The earliest references were from 1688, when the Lloyd’s Coffee House was a popular place for sailors, merchants, and ship-owners, and Lloyd catered to them with reliable shipping news. The coffee house soon became recognised as an ideal place for obtaining marine insurance.

“These companies, these underwriters,” Hanson explains, “were essentially bidding on it. They were like, well, what ship is it? Is it in good condition? Am I familiar with it? And who’s the captain? Is he a good captain? What’s the likelihood of success or failure? It was very hands-on and raw. If a ship ran aground, you could render assistance and refloat them and you would get an award, the amount determined through arbitration. So there was an incentive to save ship and cargo.”

Hanson continues, “The first ‘salvors’ were amateurs. They were just ‘vessels of opportunity’ that happened to be nearby. It was the underwriters who created a system of reward and incentive.” The maritime insurance or underwriting system continued to develop, and become more organized in the 17th through the 19th centuries.

Modern Salvage Operations

In considering 20th century developments that impacted the business of marine salvage, Hanson stresses, “The Exxon Valdez changed everything.” The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill was a major environmental disaster that occurred on March 24, 1989.

The following year came the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, which created a comprehensive prevention, response, liability, and compensation regime to deal with vessel- and facility-caused oil pollution to U.S. navigable waters.

Hanson Maritime began operations in 1993 as Underwater Services, specializing in commercial diving and salvage. In 2000, towing was added and the name was changed to Hanson Maritime Co.

Hanson says hundreds of tows have been made and nearly 200 vessels have been salvaged during his career.

Hanson’s hallmark statement is, “We practice an almost forgotten method of salvage, where we respond immediately to vessels in peril, often resulting in rescue rather than salvage, and always using our best endeavors to minimize further damage, protect the environment, and preserve vessel and cargo value.”

He recalls, “I can think of one seiner that sank, and had we not raised it and de-fueled it, etc., that fishing area would have been closed for the season.”

In these complex days, Hanson says he cannot overstate the importance of submitting a salvage plan and coordinating with multiple entities to ensure successful operations. “You cannot leave a boat in state waters. And when the Coast Guard hires us, we have to be able to respond within four hours.”

Technological Advancements

The impact of technological advancements is also profound in today’s world of maritime salvage. Smartphones and Starlink, for example, have been key to improving response times and efficiency. Hanson notes the modern benefits of real-time communication and the ability to send photos and videos for rapid decision-making.

He is also very careful to explain that the salvage business involves various professional terms, such as salvage and wreck-removal. In cases where the vessel is a total loss, it is important that wreck-removal is done according to state law. Then, there is the matter of disposing of raised boats, including sorting metal and wood for recycling.

Hanson is also quick to discuss the importance of community involvement and the role of local businesses in salvage operations in Southeast Alaska. He recounts his company’s personal connection to the F/V Eyak, which he helped salvage, and his ongoing work with the owner, David Castle.

The first of two articles about the Eyak, written by Will Swagel, appeared in the 2014 Sitka Harbor Guide. Then, on January 19, 2015, the Eyak, “an integral part of the Sitka Waterfront, tore a chunk out of her middle on a rock near Goddard Hot Springs and sank.” Swagel’s second article “Eyak’s Back” appeared in the 2016 Sitka Harbor Guide after the boat was resurrected.

Nowadays, Hanson and his crew travel throughout Southeast Alaska as projects demand. In March, they raised a vessel in Juneau, then brought it back to Sitka where it was demolished and recycled.

Hanson says, “I’ve never had any young person approach me about working in salvage and that makes me sad. I wish that more young people were interested in the pride and tradition of being mariners.”

When all is said and done, there’s a vast, skilled professional network that supports the fishing fleets.