The news of Marty’s accident is devastating to all who knew him. He was part of the four-person salvage team examining a ship drifting south of the Aleutian Islands and he slipped while preparing to leave and suffered a fatal head injury. The crew was preparing to leave the Cougar Ace which was almost on its side when he lost his footing Sunday, July 30th. The 654-foot ship was loaded with 4,700 cars.

Fontain Martin Johnson III ("Marty") was one of nineteen who graduated from Webb on June 25th 1988 and graduated first in his class. He then attended the University of Michigan where he received his Master’s in Naval Architecture and then completed his MBA in Finance at Seattle University in 2003.

Marty spent his years perfecting his craft in NYC at M. Rosenblatt & Son; Maritrans in Philadelphia and for the past nine years at Crowley Maritime in Seattle. Marty was said to be one of the company's most experienced naval architects. He enjoyed golf, sailing, jazz, playing the trombone and piano, classical music, creative literary pursuits.

Marty is survived by his parents of Santa Claus, IN and a sister and brother-in-law in NYC. The family has asked that memorial contributions be made to Webb Institute or Seattle University Graduate School of Business. A memorial website for Marty can be found at http://martyjohnson.memory-of.com.

As a tribute to Marty Johnson, his employer Crowley Maritime decided to name his last vessel after him and asked his sister Nicole Murphy to christen the barge at launching. On the day of the launch the President of Crowley Maritime memorialized Marty and led a crowd in prayer and remembrance of him. Excerpts of video of this event can be seen here.