American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
sailor. She was the youngest individual appointed captain of a
New York Waterways
NY Waterway (or New York Waterway) is a private transportation company running ferry and bus service in the Port of New York and New Jersey and in the Hudson Valley. The company utilizes public-private partnership with agencies such as the Po ...
ferry, and the first woman appointed captain. Catanzaro captained the ferry , one of the vessels that responded to the emergency landing of
US Airways Flight 1549
US Airways Flight 1549 was a regularly scheduled US Airways flight from New York City (LaGuardia Airport), to Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte and Seattle, in the United States. On January 15, 2009, the Airbus A320 serving the flight bir ...
, on the
Hudson River
The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between N ...
. Catanzaro and her crew are credited with rescuing two dozen survivors.
Following the rescue the
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mult ...
honored Coast Guard personnel who had distinguished themselves. Catanzaro is a member of the
Coast Guard Reserve
The United States Coast Guard Reserve is the reserve component of the United States Coast Guard. It is organized, trained, administered, and supplied under the direction of the Commandant of the Coast Guard through the Assistant Commandant for R ...
, and received a Meritorious Public Service Award.
Catanzaro's cool and efficient response to the emergency landing has been offered as an example the value of training for emergencies. New York Waterways crews practice man overboard drills every two weeks, and Catanzaro said they were all so familiar with the process she did not have to issue any orders, as her subordinates all already knew what to do. Keeping pace with survivors drifting with the Hudson's relatively fast currents is a task that requires skill and practice, and Catanzaro had specifically practiced to master this skill, during their drills, by throwing life-rings into the water, practicing keeping pace with them.
''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' profiled Catanzaro on December 4, 2008, when she was New York Waterways youngest ever captain, and its first female ferry captain. Catanzaro described virtually growing up on her family's boat, which was moored near the New York Waterways terminal. She described knowing she wanted to work on water, from an early age. She enlisted in the Coast Guard on September 11, 2007, where she worked as a machinery technician. When asked whether the older captains had given her "guff", she replied that, on the contrary, she didn't have to earn their trust, as they had seen her grow up on the river, and several of them had played a role in her training and qualification.
Gerald Weissmann, editor in chief of ''
The FASEB Journal
''The FASEB Journal'' is a scientific journal related to experimental biosciences, promoting scientific progress and education. It is published by the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology
The Federation of American Societ ...
'', pointed to Catanzaro's coolness and competence as proof of the value of making sure competent women could hold any job. He quoted
Margaret Fuller
Sarah Margaret Fuller (May 23, 1810 – July 19, 1850), sometimes referred to as Margaret Fuller Ossoli, was an American journalist, editor, critic, translator, and women's rights advocate associated with the American transcendentalism movemen ...
, an early feminist, who had called for women being allowed to command ships, in 1845. Fuller perished in the wreck of , a vessel under incompetent male command. Weissmann wrote, "If only the Elizabeth had been tended to by a sea captain as professional as Brittany Catanzaro!"