SSHSA Education Director Aimee Bachari sat down with 91-year-old RET USCG Captain Joe Wubbold in Essex, Connecticut at the Steamship Historical Society's 90th anniversary celebration in November 2025.

Captain Joe served in the US Coast Guard on active duty for 34 years, commanding a series of six ships, the last one being an icebreaker. He was Chief of Operations for the 13th Coast Guard District in the Pacific Northwest, which included oversight of all aids to navigation. His last assignment was Chief of Ice Operations in the Arctic, Antarctic, and the American Great Lakes.

After he retired, Captain Joe went on to obtain a master's degree in Polar Studies from the University of Cambridge and managed the construction of the Shackleton Memorial Library. He currently serves as the president of the board of the Keepers of Point Robinson Lighthouse on Vashon Island in Washington State. He is also the Director of the Washington Poison Center. Captain Joe has a weekly radio show on the Voice of Vashon called "From the Captain's Chair."

This is the second part of a two-part interview. Go back to episode 26 to hear about why he’s been a member for well over 40 years and why he continues to support the SSHSA to this day. We also discuss his career up through serving as the captain of the Coast Guard Cutter Ingham during the Vietnam War. In this episode, Captain Joe talks about icebreakers and how they work and how he got a glacier named after him. He also discusses his Master's degree in Polar Studies and setting up the Shackleton Memorial Library at Cambridge University. You'll also learn about all the fascinating things he's been up to in retirement.