Midshipman-Y v. Maersk

Midshipman-Y was only 19 when she came forward to take on the maritime industry alongside Hope Hicks. She became part of the movement that changed how the industry confronts sexual harassment and assault at sea. She filed her case alongside Hope’s Midshipman-X lawsuit, then later appeared in a CNN investigative report with Hope to expose how the Coast Guard and maritime institutions had failed to protect cadets and mariners. Her bravery helped build the public pressure that led to the Safer Seas Act and forced the industry to reckon with cadet safety.

After Midshipman-Y came forward, Ryan Melogy worked with Coast Guard Investigative Service investigators and the Coast Guard’s Suspension and Revocation process to pursue credential accountability. The Coast Guard charged the accused mariner and sought revocation of his Merchant Mariner Credential. He later voluntarily surrendered his credential, removing him from credentialed sailing and helping protect future cadets from being assigned to sail with him.

The case also showed that a survivor can pursue accountability while protecting her identity. Midshipman-Y proceeded under a pseudonym, allowing the public record to describe what allegedly happened without making her name the center of the story.

For maritime academy cadets and their families, Midshipman-Y remains important because it helped make clear that cadet sexual harassment at sea is not a rite of passage. It is a safety failure, a credentialing issue, and a legal issue. Her case also showed that cadets can hold even the largest shipping companies accountable when they fail to protect them aboard their ships.