10/17/2013

In Memoriam

John 'Jack' Hornor, Naval Architect & Surveyor

John C. "Jack" Hornor, a naval architect and marine surveyor who once inspected the Constellation to ensure the venerable ship was still seaworthy, died Oct. 1 of brain disease at Hospice of Queen Anne's in Centreville. He was 68.

"Jack was an excellent maritime surveyor, whether it was as part of disaster relief or advising someone on whether they should buy a boat," said John Adey, president of the American Boat & Yacht Council, where Mr. Hornor served as chairman. "When you think about it, you're the last guy who is going to look at something that a lot of people are going to take a trip on, and make a decision on whether it's safe or not. ... It's a great responsibility, and Jack had the expertise and the ability to deal with that."

Mr. Hornor also served as a lecturer at YBAA brokerage conferences, as part of an ongoing alliance between YBAA and ABYC,

Mr. Hornor served in the U.S. Army and flew helicopters as a member of the Special Forces, or Green Berets. Following his honorable discharge, he received degrees in business administration from the State University of New York and, later, naval architecture from the Westlawn Institute of Marine Technology.

As owner of Marine Survey & Design Co., Mr. Hornor's specialty was handling damage claims.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy last year, he helped salvage hundreds of boats as part of the Catastrophe Team for BoatU.S. Marine Insurance.

Mr. Hornor was the project naval architect and surveyor for the restoration of the 113-year-old steam tug "Baltimore," which is docked at the Baltimore Museum of Industry. In 2004, when the Constellation was moved from Baltimore's Inner Harbor to the U.S. Naval Academy as part of the ship's birthday celebration, Mr. Hornor was asked to inspect its hull and make sure it could handle the trip. Although it had to be pulled by tug, it did just fine.

Mr. Hornor was a former board member of the National Association of Marine Surveyors and a member of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers and the Mid-Atlantic Mariners Club.