Today, Sigurd Jonny “Sig” Hansen is most popularly known for being the American captain of the fishing vessel Northwestern and starring in multiple seasons of the documentary television series Deadliest Catch (in which he also serves as technical advisor for the show’s production).
Over many years of enjoying life at sea and climbing up the ranks, he became a “relief skipper” at the age of 22. In this position, he was responsible for relieving other captains on the Northwestern, as well as doing short-haul stints on other boats in the fleet.
Naturally, by the age of 24, he began running the Northwestern full-time. Over a whopping two decades of doing so, Hansen has quite the excellent safety record next to his name. Believe it or not, the Northwestern has had zero fatalities while Hansen has been at its helm.
In addition to catching fish, Hansen spends much of his time writing. He released his first book in March 2010, which was titled North By Northwestern: A Seafaring Family on Deadly Alaskan Waters and was co-written with Mark Sundeen. The book gained critical acclaim around the world, placing on the bestseller list of the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal.
