Fisherman’s Hard Hat

Description:

The weather deck on a factory trawler like the Alaska Ocean can be a dangerous place, especially when the huge net is being launched or hauled aboard. While mechanical winches do the heavy lifting, deck hands have to be present during such operations to attach or change cables, to secure or launch the trawl doors, to open the cod end of the net into the fish bins in the hold, and to accomplish a range of other tasks accurately and efficiently. To protect themselves while working on the deck, fishermen wear hard hats, earplugs, and other gear.

This hard hat was worn by Alaska Ocean deck hand Matt Prebezac in 2007. Like other fishermen aboard, he customized the standard white hard hat so there would be no confusion over which hat to grab when the call came to report to the deck. Using a black permanent marker, he wrote the words “Rock Star” on the back of the hat. This ensured it wouldn’t be mistaken for his buddy Ben Boyok’s hat, which was adorned with the profile of a hawkeye, the team mascot of the University of Iowa, in Ben’s home state. Throughout the 2007 season, the Rock Star and the Iowa hawkeye, with four other deck hands, a lead fisherman, and a deck officer, worked 12-hour shifts in two teams.

Date Made: 2007Associated Date: 2007

Used: Prebezac, MattMaker: Bullard

Associated Place: United States: Pacific CoastUnited States: AlaskaUnited States: WashingtonNorth PacificBering Sea

Subject: FishingRelated Event: Contemporary United States

Subject:

See more items in: Work and Industry: Maritime, Work, Industry & Manufacturing, Natural Resources, On the Water exhibit

Exhibition: On the Water

Exhibition Location: National Museum of American History

Related Web Publication: http://americanhistory.si.edu/onthewater

Related Publication: On the Water online exhibition

Credit Line: Alaska Ocean thru Jeff Hendricks

Data Source: National Museum of American History

Id Number: 2007.0178.02Catalog Number: 2007.0178.02Accession Number: 2007.0178

Object Name: hard hat

Physical Description: high-density polyethylene (overall material)Measurements: overall: 6 1/2 in x 9 1/2 in x 12 in; 16.51 cm x 24.13 cm x 30.48 cm

Guid: http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746ac-27dd-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

Record Id: nmah_1330027

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