A Pilot’s Course
Rung by rung, Captain Elizabeth A. Christman pulled herself up the Jacob's (rope) ladder which hung on the side of a giant sea-going merchant ship in the Atlantic Ocean. Every pull, every foothold symbolized each step of her long journey to becoming one of the most elite sea captains in the world.
At the time, Captain Christman was working as a Pilot-In-Training in hopes of becoming a Maryland-licensed Pilot. After a 13-year journey to reach her career goal, she had five more difficult years of training between her and that goal—to be a ship’s Pilot qualified to command the largest vessels calling at any Maryland port. She had cleared the highest hurdle of her quest just months before when she was selected to begin a training program as a State-licensed Pilot. Captain Christman had been one of six applicants chosen for training by the Maryland Department of Labor State Board of Pilots from a field of nearly 150 experienced ship officers.
The arduous training was required before she would become fully licensed by the State Board of Pilots. Captain Christman, like all Pilots, was required by the State of Maryland to finish a rigorous five-year training program. She would make hundreds of transits on the Chesapeake Bay from the C & D Canal at Chesapeake City, Maryland or Cape Henry, Virginia to and from the Port of Baltimore. Her classroom work included training on state-of-the-art ship simulators as well as academic study for professional certifications needed for Federal and State licensure.
She would have to draw, from memory and in great detail, 10 nautical charts of the Bay. Her practical skill development would be supervised by State-licensed Pilots who would critique her every decision, day in and day out.
It was a process for which she had long prepared. Captain Christman grew up in Norwich, New York. As a child, she fell in love with the ocean during her family vacations to the shore. When it was time to choose a college, the call of the sea made her choice easier.
About Captain Christman
She selected the State University of New York Maritime College. She graduated in 1987 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Transportation, a U.S. Coast Guard Unlimited Tonnage Third Mate License, and a commission as an Ensign in the Naval Reserve.
Upon graduation, she successfully competed in the male-dominated profession by working on merchant ships from 1987 to 1996. During that time, she sailed on tankers, passenger ships, and training vessels, earning respect and experience as her career progressed. She quickly rose through the ranks and was the first in her graduating class to become fully licensed with an Unlimited Tonnage Ocean Master’s license. In 1995, while working as Chief Mate of the State University of New York Maritime College training vessel, T/S EMPIRE STATE VI, Captain Christman completed her post-graduate studies earning a Master of Science degree in Transportation Management.
In February 2001, 18 years after she began her seafaring career, Captain Christman reached her goal as she finished her five-year training program and became fully licensed by the Maryland State Board of Pilots. That license allows her to pilot any vessel of any size and any draft on the waters of the Chesapeake Bay.
Since her licensure as an Unlimited Licensed Pilot, Captain Christman has served the State of Maryland as a Gubernatorial Appointed member of the State Board of Pilots. She has also been elected to serve on the Association of Maryland Pilots’ Board of Directors and in 2020, Captain Christman was elected First Vice President of the Association.
Maritime Universities
Application Process
For more information on the Application / Qualification process you may contact the Department of Labor, https://www.dllr.state.md.us/license/bp/.
