The crew of two debris-clearing boats had already been hauling logs out of the Cuyahoga River for about four hours by the time they came upon a pile of trash, twigs and logs pooled together on Collision Bend, a notoriously sharp curve of Cleveland’s “Crooked River.” 

With all the river rubble the boats have already collected this summer, Sam Landgraf, the lead captain, thought it was going to be a light day as the crew headed out Monday morning. 

By the time they reached Collision Bend in the afternoon, they had already filled three huge dumpster bags. 

Davis Aerospace and Maritime High School student Josh Dannison fishes a new basketball out of a corner of the Cuyahoga River's Collision Bend where trash and debris has pooled up.
Davis Aerospace & Maritime High School student Josh Dannison fishes a new basketball out of a corner of the Cuyahoga River’s Collision Bend where trash and debris has pooled up. Credit: Michael Indriolo / Signal Cleveland / CatchLight Local

The boats — called Flotsam and Jetsam — are owned by the Port of Cleveland, but they’re run by Argonaut, a local nonprofit focused on connecting young people to careers in the maritime and aerospace industries. 

That’s how Josh Dannison and John Vera ended up working paid summer internships on Flotsam and Jetsam this summer. They’re both students at Davis Aerospace & Maritime High School, a public school in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District that Argonaut started in 2017.

Vera, heading into his sophomore year, isn’t sure exactly what he’d like to do for a career yet, he said, but he chose to go to Davis because he’s always enjoyed being on the water. Even dragging tree branches onto Flotsam and Jetsam can be peaceful at times when the breeze is just right, he said. 

“My goal, I’m looking to buy myself a boat, so I can just go out on the water, relax and all that,” Vera said.

Davis Aerospace and Maritime High School students Josh Dannison (left) and John Vera (right) prepare Jetsam to head out from the Edgewater Marina toward the Cuyahoga River.
Davis Aerospace & Maritime High School students Josh Dannison (left) and John Vera (right) prepare Jetsam to head out from the Edgewater Marina toward the Cuyahoga River. Credit: Michael Indriolo / Signal Cleveland / CatchLight Local
The crew of Flotsam — Captian Joe Slusarski (left), student intern Josh Dannison (center) and Deckhand Ken Figueroa (right) — carry a large log toward Jetsam, which has a crane meant to lift bigger pieces of debris. On Jetsam, Senior Deckhand Will Whalen and student intern John Vera prepare to pull the log aboard.
The crew of Flotsam — Captian Joe Slusarski (left), intern Josh Dannison (center) and Deckhand Ken Figueroa (right) — carry a large log toward Jetsam, which has a crane meant to lift bigger pieces of debris. On Jetsam, Senior Deckhand Will Whalen (left) and student intern John Vera (right) prepare to pull the log aboard. Credit: Michael Indriolo / Signal Cleveland / CatchLight Local
Davis Aerospace and Maritime High School student John Vera (left) and Senior Deckhand Will Whalen (right), a recent Davis graduate, pull a log from Lake Erie onto Jetsam.
Davis Aerospace & Maritime High School student John Vera (left) and Senior Deckhand Will Whalen (right), a recent Davis graduate, pull a log from Lake Erie onto Jetsam. Credit: Michael Indriolo / Signal Cleveland / CatchLight Local
Senior Deckhand Will Whalen unties a large log as he loads it onto Jetsam.
Senior Deckhand Will Whalen unties a large log as he loads it onto Jetsam. Credit: Michael Indriolo / Signal Cleveland / CatchLight Local

From intern to (almost) captain

Will Whalen, now a senior deckhand on Flotsam and Jetsam, started out as an intern four years ago. At the time, he had just transferred to Davis after going to a medical high school and learning that it wasn’t the right fit for him, he said. 

He signed up for the internship to make some money and get out of the classroom during the summer portion of the year-round school calendar Davis used to have.

“I didn’t even know what I was gonna be doing out here,” Whalen said. “Basically, how it started was just to get out of school. Then I actually started really enjoying it.”

Senior Deckhand Will Whalen looks for direction from Lead Captian Sam Landgraf as he maneuvers Flotsam into a corner of the Cuyahoga River's Collision Bend where trash and debris has pooled up.
Senior Deckhand Will Whalen looks for direction from Lead Captain Sam Landgraf as he maneuvers Flotsam into a corner of the Cuyahoga River’s Collision Bend where trash and debris has pooled up. Credit: Michael Indriolo / Signal Cleveland / CatchLight Local

Even so, Whalen wasn’t sold on a career in the maritime field when he graduated from Davis in 2023. He started taking classes to be a firefighter, but he kept coming back to work on Flotsam and Jetsam every summer. The experience ended up winning him over. 

Now, Whalen is just a few months away from getting his captain’s license. 

“I wasn’t really set on being a captain, but once I actually started working here, they let me drive the boat more and more,” he said. “I started to really enjoy driving the boat.”

Flotsam passes by Irishtown Bend, a section of the Cuyahoga Riverbank in Ohio City. The Port of Cleveland is currently stabilizing Irishtown Bend because it was slowly sliding into the river. Once the project is finished, the Cleveland Metroparks plans to build a riverfront park here.
Flotsam passes by Irishtown Bend, a section of the Cuyahoga Riverbank in Ohio City. The Port of Cleveland is currently stabilizing Irishtown Bend because it was slowly sliding into the river. Once the project is finished, the Cleveland Metroparks plans to build a riverfront park here. Credit: Michael Indriolo / Signal Cleveland / CatchLight Local
A freighter named Sam Laud passes under the Carter Road lift bridge on the Cuyahoga River.
A freighter named Sam Laud passes under the Carter Road lift bridge on the Cuyahoga River. Credit: Michael Indriolo / Signal Cleveland / CatchLight Local

‘In the history book of Cleveland’

Aside from working on Flotsam and Jetsam, Davis students can also land summer internships working on freighters and a safety boat that helps guide shipping vessels through the Cuyahoga River. 

On freighters, students spend two months in different parts of the ship doing “a little bit of everything,” said Landgraf. For now, there are two internship spots on freighters, but Argonaut is hoping to get more spots in the future. 

Captain Joe Slusarski (left) Deckhand Ken Figeuroa (center) and Student Intern Josh Dannison pull a log from the Cuyahoga River up onto Flotsam.
Captain Joe Slusarski (left) Deckhand Ken Figeuroa (center) and student intern Josh Dannison pull a log from the Cuyahoga River up onto Flotsam. Credit: Michael Indriolo / Signal Cleveland / CatchLight Local

Although Flotsam and Jetsam are small compared to those massive freighters going up and down the river, the debris-clearing boats play an important role in the shipping industry, said Landgraf.

Especially after heavy rain storms, huge branches and even whole trees make their way into the stretch of the river that runs through Cleveland, Landgraf said. Those obstacles can damage freighters as they carry iron ore inland to steel plants. On average, Flotsam and Jetsam pull roughly 300,000 pounds of debris out of the river during each season, which lasts from May to October. The crew once pulled out a tree that looked to be 60 feet long.

“It’s helping the environment, helping the freighters and just being a part of Cleveland,” Landgraf said. “It’s just a tiny, little part in the history book of Cleveland, but it’s still in the history book of Cleveland.”

Visual Journalist (he/him)
As Signal Cleveland’s visual journalist, I use photography and video to show the people and places that make up Cleveland’s character. My role is supported by CatchLight and Report for America.