In the tight-knit world of Mississippi River mariners, few are as well-known as Capt. Mark Delesdernier Jr.
During his career as a river pilot that spanned more than 40 years, Delesdernier guided more than 6,000 vessels up the lower Mississippi River from his native Pilottown to New Orleans.
He served as president of the Crescent River Port Pilotsโ Association for nearly two decades and chaired the board of the Port of New Orleans.
He also codeveloped a patented ladder system, still in production today, that gives marine pilots a safer way to embark and disembark vessels.
Now, Delesdernier, who turns 89 next month, is being recognized with what is a river pilotโs equivalent of a lifetime achievement award. On Saturday, LeBoeuf Bros. Towing, which owns and operates a fleet of some four dozen tugs and 90 barges on the Mississippi River and Intracoastal Waterway, will christen its newest vessel in Delesdernierโs honor.
The Capt. Mark Delesdernier Jr., a twin-screw tugboat, will be dedicated in a ceremony at the docks near Mardi Gras World.
โItโs a great honor,โ Delesdernier said. โOften, they do these things after people have died. Itโs nice to be able to enjoy it now.โ
A family affair
River pilots operate as a monopoly on the Mississippi River. The state requires companies shipping cargo up and down the waterway to pay for their services on foreign-flagged vessels. The ships they help steer are often massive, and crashes can be catastrophic, making the job a vital one.
Delesdernier comes from a long line of river pilots. In the early 1900s, his grandmotherโs brothers were two of the first members of the River Port Pilotsโ Association, one of three river pilot organizations on the Mississippi.
His fatherโs two brothers also were pilots. He earned his commission in 1965, and his son, grandsons and nephews are also all pilots.
"Altogether, there are 11 members of my immediate family," he said.
During his nearly half-century career, Delesdernier witnessed a lot of changes in his industry. When he became a pilot in the mid-1960s, pilots were just beginning to transition from the use of whistles to standard radios, he said.
At the time, the average vessel on the Mississippi was about 450 feet long and carried the equivalent of between 5,000 to 10,000 tons of cargo. New Orleans was one of the busiest ports in the U.S.
Today, the massive vessels have grown to 700 feet on average and carry upward of 50,000 tons of cargo, and the Port of New Orleans is trying to build a new deep-water terminal downriver near Violet in St. Bernard Parish to better compete against other coastal ports that have surpassed it in the handling of cargo.
โSo much has changed,โย Delesdernier said. โBut in some ways, itโs still a really labor-intensive, stressful job. River pilots work long hours and have to manage a lot of stressful situations.โ
Delesdernier is also well known from his involvement in political and civic circles. He served as chair of the ถถา๕h Stadium and Exposition District, better known as the Superdome Commission, during two stints on the board. Notably, he was appointed both by Gov. Edwin Edwards, a Democrat, and by Gov. Mike Foster, a Republican.
During his time on the board, the commission financed the construction of the New Orleans Arena, now the Smoothie King Center; negotiated a new long-term lease agreement with the New Orleans Saints; and negotiated to bring an NBA franchise back to the city for the first time since the 1970s.
He was also involved in countless civic organizations and causes related to coastal conservation and wildlife.ย
"I've been involved with so many organizations and held so many positions," he said. "But that's what makes life worth living."