1. Gordan Evans Van Hook
Captain, USN (Ret)
6524 Harbour Pointe Dr
Suffolk, VA 23435
+1-757-484-5253 (Home); +1-703-608-4788 (Mobile)
Email: gevanhook@gmail.com
Current Position
Sole proprietor/ owner, Maritime Insights, LLC; USA/Americas Country Agent, Odense Maritime Technology A/S
Summary
 Unique view of military and commercial maritime industry with 29 years of naval experience and eight years
in commercial maritime industry, leading and managing complex organizations with diverse missions.
 Currently serving as USA/Americas country agent for Odense Maritime Technology (OMT) A/S, a global
provider of naval architecture and marine engineering services,headquartered in Odense, Denmark. Leading
OMT business development efforts in the US, Canada and the Americas.
Clearance TS/ 23 May 2011
Skills
Commercial Operator – Managed profit and loss financial performance and a team supporting a maritime business
unit of six ships, operating under long and short term time and voyage charters,some on the spot market globally in
an extremely dynamic and challenging market.
Strategic Thinker Featured speaker on global maritime trade,piracy, maritime security and maritime domain
awareness,as wellas war games at the Naval Post Graduate School, Naval War College and Center for Strategic and
Budgetary Analysis. Assisted Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) on innovation and technology, naval force structure
and shipbuilding , intelligence and maritime domain awareness, international relations and foreign policy, maritime
roles and missions, strategy and policy, manpower, training and education, medicine, and strategic communications.
Innovator At MLL, developed new sea basing concepts for commercial vesselconversions and developed
modular conversion units for Joint High Speed Vesseland Global Fleet Stations. Developed new maritime domain
awareness concepts,and arranged advance technology demonstrations on MLL ships.
Team Builder Led the Maersk Crisis Action Team in Mombasa, Kenya for the Maersk Alabama incident in 2009.
Managed and led a business unit of four to six people. Led support staff for CJCS and CNO transitions. Led
mentoring group for CNO Strategic Studies Group, and commanded naval forces in combat and through multiple
arduous deployments and operations.
Maritime Operations Expert Commanded assigned air, surface and subsurface units as a carrier strike group Sea
Combat Commander, directed naval units at the naval component commander and numbered fleet commander level,
and commanded a destroyer through multiple high stress and high tempo operations.
Education Naval War College, M.A.in National Security Strategy and Policy
Naval Postgraduate School, M.S. in Information Systems Management
Texas A&M University,B.S. cumlaude
Awards Legion of Merit (4), Bronze Star (V), Joint Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal
(3), Navy Commendation Medal, Navy Achievement Medal, numerous unit and campaign citations
Articles Focus More on Management and Lesson Technology to Reduce Navy Energy Costs, Frontline
Defence ,Feb 2011; Fueling the Future Fleet: Managing for Energy Efficiency,Vanguard Dec
2010/Jan 2011; On the Horizon, C4ISR Journal, Oct 2010; Irregular Sea Control, USNI Proceedings
Jul 2010; Seabasing for Counterpiracy; Vast Ocean, Boat Traffic Thwart Traditional Solutions,
Defense News,26 Apr 2010Maritime Security Consortiums, USNI Proceedings Apr 2009; How to
Kill a Good Idea, USNI Proceedings Oct 2007; Creatively Bridging the Gap, USNI Proceedings Sep
2005

2. Books Chapters in Maritime Private Security; Conflict and Cooperation in the Global Commons
Affiliations US Naval Institute (national board member), Military Officers Association of America (national
board member), Navy League (former board member), Surface Navy Association (former board
member), American Legion, National Defense Industry Association , National Defense
Transportation Association, New York Yacht Club, Texas A&M Century Club, Society of Naval
Architects and Marine Engineers, American Society of Naval Engineers, Propeller Club
Experience
2012-2014 Senior Director, Ship Management and Chartering, Maersk Line, Limited
 Led a team that managed the global operations, maintenance, and profit and loss of a business unit
consisting of four product tankers and two heavy lift multipurpose ships.
2008-2012 Senior Director, Innovation and Concept Development, Maersk Line, Limited
 Developed concepts in energy, sea basing, sealift, and ship conversions for military applications.
Provided industry perspective in maritime domain awareness,maritime security, and piracy.
2006-2008 Executive Director, ChiefofNaval Operations Executive Panel (OPNAVN00K)
 Principal advisor to CNO overseeing 32 leaders from industry, academia, and government to
provide peer level advice on critical defense and maritime strategy issues
2005-2006 Senior Fellow, ChiefofNaval Operations Strategic Studies Group (SSG)
 Led concept generation team for Relationships and Interoperability that generated specific
concepts for Global Maritime Security Network, Littoral Distributed Operations, and Total Fleet
2003-2005 Commander, Destroyer Squadron 23 (CDS-23)
 Commodore for eight guided missile destroyers through two deployments
 Served as Sea Combat Commander for the Nimitz Strike Group during combat operations,
2002-2003 Deputy Director, Maritime Security Cooperation (OPNAVN-52B)
 Coordinated politico-military advice for CNO and prioritized Navy Foreign Military Sales with
Navy International Programs Office, and Navy regional and country desks
.
2000-2001 Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations, Commander US Naval Forces Central Command
 Planned and directed coalition naval forces in support of Operations Southern Watch, Maritime
Interception Operations, and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF).
1998-1999 Commanding Officer USS O’BANNON(DD-987)
 Deployed in circumnavigation of South America, navigated around Cape Horn and through the
Chilean inland waterway,successfully completing numerous port visits and multilateral exercises.
1996-1998 Director Surface C4I Cell (OPNAVN863B)
 Transitioned to Automated Tomahawk Weapons C2 System (ATWCS), developed initial
targeting support for Tactical Tomahawk (TACTOM) a Fleet Battle Experiments Alfa and Bravo
1993-1996 Program Manager, NATO C3 Agency
 Managed Maritime Intelligence Architecture (MIA) project and assisted with development of
NATO C2 Information System (NACCIS) and Battlefield Information Collection and
Exploitation System (BICES)
.
1984-1989 ChiefEngineer, USS SAMUEL B. ROBERTS (FFG-58)
 Awarded Bronze Star with Combat V for actions to save ship after hitting an Iranian mine in1988,
featured in books No Higher Honor by Brad Penniston and Inside the DangerZone by Harold
Wise. Supervised first heavy lift of US Navy warship aboard Mighty Servant II.