The Fabricator Johnny Anderson

Johnny Anderson is a boat operator and raised in Brownsville, NY. When he was young, he had little exposure to the waters of New York as he felt landlocked growing up. Eventually, this changed for him as his older brother began attending the New York Harbor School in Bushwick Brooklyn. Johnny visited his brother's school events and became interested in the waters of NY, which only continue to grow. When Johnny was ready for high school, he knew where he wanted to go.

In sophomore year he had decided to go into the the newly created Vessel Operations program. This proved to be a good fit, as it led to the career he has today. While working with Captain Aaron as one of the first Vessel Operations students in the program, he learned essential skills that interested him, such as using GPS, how to navigate, and essential knots and seamanship skills that aid in his everyday work. In addition to his CTE classes, Johnny was a active member in the schools Harbor Corp program ran by the aquaculture teacher and later founder of the Billion Oyster Project. His experiences though the Harbor Corp programs lead to a love of the marine environment. Having the basic training from his Career and Technical Education Program upon graduation he went into small deckhand jobs and automotive jobs.

Eventually, Johnny became interested in welding and fabrication, learning from Harbor School’s current welding teacher, Clark. Today, Johnny is the Fabrication Manager for the Billion Oyster Project. The Billion Oyster Project is a nonprofit organization that is restoring the oyster reefs that were destroyed in the New York Harbor, with the goal of 1 billion total oysters restored. Johnny currently works constructing oyster reef structures that later are put into the Harbor for the BOP. As well as all of this, he has a 50-ton captain license and is working towards a 100-ton license.

Johnny says that he didn't always know he would be a captain but really enjoys operating boats for restoration initiatives in NY Harbor harbor. He says he didn't know if he could be responsible for people's lives on a boat, but now he has surpassed that point and proven himself to be an incredible boat operator, welder, and person. With all these accomplishments, he has paved the way for more like him in the maritime industry’s future.

Autumn V. Vessel Ops Sophmore 2024