Captain John Ryan

Captain John Ryan Holds an Unlimited Masters License. He has sailed on commercial, military and training vessels. He currently teaches Navigation and Collision Avoidance at the United States Merchant Marine Academy. The views expressed in this paper are my own and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, Maritime Administration, the U.S. Department of Transportation, or the United States.

19 Jun 2023

ECDIS is Not a Replacement for Terrestrial Navigation

I guess it was only a matter of time. After years of debating whether or not Celestial Navigation should be taught it is now time to debate the relevance of Terrestrial Navigation. The argument is same: why do I need to know this if there is technology available to do it for me?The answer is also the same. If you want to be a professional mariner than your knowledge base and skill sets should far exceed…
10 Apr 2023

Critical Thinking Matters on the Bridge

One of the most important skills a ship’s officer should possess is their ability to recognize when something is out of place. If you don’t apply a lot of thought to what you are doing, recognizing your mistakes becomes nearly impossible. Thought is required in every step of every process performed on the bridge.With all the modern appliances we use for navigation and collision avoidance today, it…

Captain John Ryan

ECDIS is Not a Replacement for Terrestrial Navigation

Critical Thinking Matters on the Bridge

Green Propane Offers a Path to Net Zero