MONITOR, Cullen

Monitor, Cullen (b. c. 1991), Second Captain aboard Conception during the Labor Day trip of the vessel's tragedy, loss of life, fire and sinking.

NTSB 4.5.2 Second Captain

“The 28-year-old second captain held a valid merchant mariner credential, issued on March 19, 2019, as a master of self-propelled vessels (not including auxiliary sail) of less than 100 gross register tons upon near coastal waters. He told investigators that he had been hired by Truth Aquatics in late June or early July 2019 and that this was his first job as a credentialed mariner. Prior to this position, he had worked as a deckhand on several boats operating off the Southern California coast and the Channel Islands from 2017 to 2019. The second captain stated that, as a new crewmember, his duties were primarily deck related, including working with the deckhands to anchor the vessel, launch and recover the skiff, and conduct general cleaning. He said that on the accident voyage, the captain had allowed him to spend more time at the controls in the wheelhouse so that he could gain experience maneuvering the vessel.”