The Captain Who Keeps Coming Back: Norm Meshaw’s Decades-Long Connection to MLS

Norm Meshaw enlisted in the U.S. Navy at 17. He served two tours in Vietnam aboard the USS Newport News, earned an honorable discharge, and later spent more than two decades in the U.S. Coast Guard. He’s held a Master’s license, run a charter fishing business, worked for the National Park Service, and trained sheriff’s deputies on the water.

He’s been connected to Mariners Learning System for nearly as long as the company has existed.

Over the years, Norm has worn many hats at MLS: instructor, proctor, student, and now a part-time licensing specialist. He trusts MLS, and he keeps finding reasons to come back.

A Career Built on the Water

Norm’s maritime career started young. In 1965, at 17, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He served two tours in Vietnam aboard the USS Newport News and was honorably discharged in 1968.

Eight years later, he joined the U.S. Coast Guard. Over the next 22 and a half years, Norm rotated through assignments in Search and Rescue, Aids to Navigation, Port Safety, and staff roles. He retired as a Lieutenant Commander in 1998.

After leaving the Coast Guard, Norm earned his Merchant Marine Master’s license and launched a charter fishing operation in southwest Florida, where he lives today.

Finding MLS

With a military background that included some of the most demanding maritime training in the country, Norm didn’t need a basic refresher course. He needed a program that could organize the knowledge he already had and sharpen the skills he hadn’t used in years.

“Mariners Learning System put it all together for me and provided practice quizzes and just seemed to make it easy to brush up on skills I hadn’t used in a while,” Norm says.

The convenience mattered, too. Norm’s nearest Coast Guard Regional Exam Center was more than 150 miles away, and scheduling a test there would have been a hassle. MLS offered a simpler path.

Norm started with the OUPV license for his charter fishing business. At the time, it was all he thought he’d need.

The Master’s License Lesson

When fishing charters slowed down, Norm discovered how quickly the OUPV’s limits could catch up with him.

The marina where he worked had a yacht brokerage, and they needed a captain to deliver and relocate boats around Florida. The catch: their insurance required a Master’s license.

“Now I had to go back and get my Master’s license, and I also got a Towing Endorsement,” Norm says. “Every time you do that, you have to send the Coast Guard a fee for processing your application.”

The experience left him with advice for anyone considering their first license: get the Master’s upfront.

“The Master’s is only one course/exam more,” Norm says. “And it opened so many more doors.”

With the upgrade, Norm’s career options expanded. He captained tour boats, delivered vessels, taught on-the-water courses, and worked for the National Park Service in Florida. He now trains deputies in the local sheriff’s department marine unit.

“A lot of opportunities open up with that Master’s license that aren’t available with just a Six-Pack,” he says.

Growing With MLS

Norm’s relationship with Mariners Learning System has stretched across multiple chapters of the company’s history.

When MLS offered in-person classes, Norm served as an instructor. When the company shifted to online courses with in-person testing, he became a proctor. He took MLS courses himself, too, giving him a student’s perspective on the material.

“I think it was a natural progression,” Norm says. “I enjoyed teaching. And any questions I had on maritime licensing, they were my go-to for answers, even crazy ones.”

Today, Norm is back in a new role: part-time licensing specialist. He helps prospective and current students from their first questions through the licensing process.

Even with decades of Coast Guard and Navy service behind him, Norm still reaches for his MLS course books when a tricky question arises.

“I still refer to my books from Mariners,” he says. “For Master’s questions that arise every once in a while, trying to help people who are mates or want to help move boats.”

What Captains Need to Know

Norm’s Coast Guard experience in Search and Rescue, Aids to Navigation, and Port Safety gives him a sharp lens for evaluating training programs. He’s seen the challenges captains face on the water, and he’s seen the gaps in their knowledge that get them into trouble.

“Doing deliveries, you see many different aids to navigation, some of them rather obscure,” Norm says. “Same with being offshore. Every once in a while, you’ll see lights on a ship that you don’t recognize. MLS has covered all of those different types of possibilities.”

For his charter business, Norm’s training paid off in practical ways. “It gave me the confidence to navigate safely to my fishing grounds and fishing spots that I have plotted out,” he says. “Let me plot them on a paper chart and keep them for good reference.”

Why He Stays With MLS

After a career spanning the Navy, Coast Guard, commercial fishing, vessel delivery, and law enforcement training, Norm has plenty of options. He keeps choosing MLS.

“They’re super knowledgeable,” he says, listing reasons he’s stuck with the organization. “Great, friendly support, and the ease of getting your license.”

The relationship goes both ways. MLS’s coursework gave Norm the tools to build a second career after the military, and Norm’s decades of experience now help MLS serve its students better.

“It’s a great starting point for maritime safety and seamanship,” Norm says. “You may not see everything where you boat, but you may see some situations you don’t recognize, and you’ve probably covered them in class. If not, you’ve got your books for reference. And if that doesn’t work, you’ve still got Mariners, who can find somebody to answer your questions.”

Chart Your Own Course

Norm Meshaw’s career demonstrates what a captain’s license can become when paired with the right training and the willingness to keep learning. From the Navy to the Coast Guard to the charter docks of southwest Florida, the water has been a constant in Norm’s life, and MLS has been the resource he keeps coming back to.

If you’re considering a captain’s license, Norm’s advice is clear: don’t stop at the OUPV. Get the Master’s, save yourself the extra processing fees, and give yourself every option the water has to offer.

Ready to take the first step? Find the right course for your goals here.