A 35-year veteran of the Sandy Hook Pilots Association died Monday after a fall while boarding a containership inbound to New York Harbor, according to the Coast Guard and pilots.
Dennis R. Sherwood, of Freehold, N.J., was climbing an accommodation ladder to board the U.S.-flagged Maersk Kensington at the Ambrose Light pilot station outside the harbor approaches at 4:30 a.m., Coast Guard officials said.
Captain Dennis Sherwood died of injuries after a fall while attempting to board an inbound containership. Photo courtesy Sandy Hook Pilots.
Sherwood fell back into the pilot boat, which rushed him back to Staten Island to be evacuated to Richmond University Medical Center, where he died of his injuries, the Coast Guard said.
In a statement the Sandy Hook Pilots Association said Sherwood had more than 35 years of experience guiding vessels in and out of the Port of New York and New Jersey.
“Captain Sherwood is survived by his wife Marianne Sherwood, daughter Kelly Sherwood (son-in-law Robert McBriar), son Dennis Sherwood (son-in-law Paul Caruso), son William Sherwood and daughter Alexis Sherwood,” according to the association.
Units from Coast Guard Sector New York and the Fire Department City of New York and New York City Harbor Police responded to the accident. An investigation is continuing, Coast Guard officials said.
