Exxon Valdez Capt. Joseph Hazelwood dies at 75

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Joseph Hazelwood, the captain of the Exxon Valdez that grounded on Alaska’s Bligh Reef in 1989, causing one of the nation’s worst oil spills, has died. A nephew, Sam Hazelwood, confirmed to The New York Times that Joseph Hazelwood died at age 75 in July after struggling with COVID-19 and cancer. Hazelwood was accused of drinking before the ship left Valdez, Alaska, but witnesses at his trial disputed that he was drunk. He handed control of the ship off to a third mate and was below deck when the tanker grounded. He was the lone person criminally charged but was only convicted of a misdemeanor.