14 Facts About Joseph Hazelwood

Joseph Hazelwood was the captain of Exxon Valdez during her 1989 oil spill.

Joseph Hazelwood was accused of being intoxicated which contributed to the disaster, but was cleared of this charge at his 1990 trial after witnesses testified that he was sober around the time of the accident.

Joseph Hazelwood was born in Hawkinsville, Georgia, and raised in Huntington, Long Island, New York.

Joseph Hazelwood's father, Joseph, was a United States Marine Corps torpedo bomber pilot turned airline pilot.

In 1964, Joseph Hazelwood graduated from Huntington High School, where his IQ was reportedly tested at 138.

Joseph Hazelwood climbed the ranks of the merchant marine until he obtained a master's license at age 31.

Joseph Hazelwood said that he was diagnosed with a form of "depression, characterized by episodic abuse of alcohol".

Joseph Hazelwood entered a rehabilitation program in 1985 at South Oaks Hospital in Amityville, New York.

Joseph Hazelwood left Third Mate Gregory Cousins in charge of the navigation bridge and Able Seaman Robert Kagan at the helm with instructions from the third mate to return to the southbound traffic lane in the TSS at a prearranged point.

Joseph Hazelwood never had his master's license revoked and it remained valid, but he was unable to find long-term work as a captain after the spill.

Joseph Hazelwood was residing in his native Long Island as of 1997.

Joseph Hazelwood said he felt Alaskans always gave him a fair shake.

Joseph Hazelwood died on July 21,2022, but no further information was given.

Joseph Hazelwood was featured in the syndicated comic strip The Far Side, which showed him as a clumsy person who spilled things in various stages of his life; as a baby, teenager, and ultimately as an adult, driving into a water tower.