People of R/V Endeavor: Kevin Walsh

June 23, 2026

AB/Assistant Engineer/Bosun/Messman

Kevin Walsh aboard the research vessel Endeavor. he is wearing a hard hat and safety vest, and the name of the vessel is printed on large letters on the hull below him
Kevin Walsh aboard R/V Endeavor.

A Varied Life on the Water

I’ve been sailing with R/V Endeavor since 2005. Over the last two decades, I’ve worn just about every hat you can find on a research vessel. I started on Endeavor as an able-bodied seaman unlimited (AB) and worked as a deckhand. My second year, I was moved up to assistant engineer. Later I was bosun for a number of years. Then I went back to deckhand, though some trips I’ve been assistant engineer, and recently I’ve been the messman working in the galley with the steward. That’s a nice, relaxed, easy job.

I come from a family of fishermen. My father was a fisherman and his father was too. I’ve been working on boats since I was 14 and full-time fishing since I was 18. My scariest trip was when our boat caught fire from an electrical problem 90 miles southeast of Nantucket, and we had to abandon ship. The five of us spent 14 hours in life raft before being rescued after the Concorde jet sighted us. I kept fishing but after 34 years, I was tired of the new fishing rules and decided to try a new line of work, but still on the water. After earning my credentials at the Northeast Maritime Institute in Fairhaven, Mass., I was hired for a job on a tugboat, then a job with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration working on a fishing boat, and then I was hired on Endeavor. I like this job, so I’ve stayed.

My first cruise was a memorable one: to get pictures of the sunken Civil War shipU.S.S. Monitor off Cape Hatteras in North Carolina. We deployed an autonomous underwater vehicle with cameras. I’ve travelled with Endeavor all around the globe. I’ve been off Africa, Senegal, Brazil, Iceland, into the Mediterranean Sea, Bermuda, Barbados, and Puerto Rico. Trips to those last three areas are my favorite because the warm weather is great.

Kevin Walsh aboard a ship, outside on the deck, and cleaning the ship with a hose.
Walsh keeping R/V Endeavor in working order.

When I started, Rhett McMunn was captain and I’ve sailed with relief captains such as Paul Carty, and now Chris Armentti is captain. I’ve seen a lot of changes on Endeavor over that time. Years ago, the cruise track was all planned by charts. Charts are still used but there are a lot more electronics now. The ship’s positioning was determined by Long Range Navigation (LORAN), a system that is mostly obsolete now. More remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) and more sophisticated sampling equipment are used now, but the traditional CTDs, sediment cores and bongo nets are still deployed.

I was assistant engineer on the trip taking Endeavor to Brownsville, Texas. I’m partially retired now but still have three years on my present license, and I plan to go for another renewal so I’m looking forward to working part time on Narragansett Dawn.