Click on icon above to download a high resolution file of this page that you can view and print using Adobe Acrobat Reader software. If you do not have this free software, download it from the Adobe site.

The President Jackson is a type of ship called a C-10. It can carry thousands of 20- or 40-foot cargo containers. The ship is considered “post-Panamax,” meaning it is too wide to go through the Panama Canal. Captain Donald M. Moore, Jr. is the Captain of the President Jackson, a position he has held since the ship was launched in 1988.

Captain Moore has been an APL ship captain since 1973. He started his career by graduating from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and then serving as a junior officer on a number of ships. Over the course of nine years, he took graduate classes and studied for exams from the U.S. Coast Guard. By taking these courses and exams, Captain Moore was able to become a Third Mate, then a Second Mate, then a Chief Mate, and finally his current title: Master, Any Gross Tons, Ocean. This is the top license issued to ship deck officers and qualifies him to command any size ship in any ocean of the world.

You hope you’ll be able to learn a little bit about Captain Moore’s job during the trip across the Pacific, so you are pleased - but a little nervous - when Captain Moore asks you to take on an assignment for him.

“Traveling across the Pacific in winter can be challenging,” Captain Moore tells you, “because of the winter storms. Learning about bad weather and then finding ways to avoid it without hurting the ship, the crew, its cargo, or its schedule is one of my most important responsibilities as captain.”

Then he asks for your help. “Please learn about the types of weather we may encounter in the North Pacific. Then find out where we can get information about ocean weather. Please summarize what you learn in a one-page report with a map. This will help you learn about what I do every day.”