Page 27: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (August 2025)

COLONNAS SHIPYARD n an industry where tradition meets transformation, Colonna’s

Shipyard stands out. This year, the company celebrates its mile- stone anniversary, 15 decades of highs and lows, earmarked with the multitude of people and signature projects that have helped to

Ide? ne this journey, the shipyard and it’s growing stable of blue- collar sister companies a testament to perseverance.

To put it in perspective, Colonna’s Shipyard was in business before the invention of the phonograph, the Incandescent lightbulb, the au- tomobile & the airplane … Colonna’s Shipyard was formed just 10 years following the U.S. Civil war; Ulysses S. Grant was president, and since then there have been 27 additional U.S. presidents.

It’s timely tale, too, as shipbuilding and a resurgence of U.S. indus- trial might in the maritime sector is at the forefront of political agenda.

At the helm today is Randall Crutch? eld, a ? fth-generation descen- dant of founder Charles Colonna. Crutch? eld, now chairman and CEO.

His personal journey through nearly every layer of the organization mirrors the evolution of the company itself—from humble, horse-pow- ered beginnings to a modern, multi-division enterprise serving both commercial and government customers with precision and scale.

Crutch? eld’s Journey:

From the Docks to the Boardroom

For Crutch? eld, Colonna’s has never been just a business: it is fam- ily. As the son of a Colonna (his mother), he grew up amid the dust, grit and iron of the shipyard. “While other kids were on spring break,

I was out here on the waterfront,” he said.

While Crutch? eld admits that at the time “I didn’t have very much appreciation for doing that,” he admits that those summers spent build- ing ship blocks and learning trades from multi-generational workers would later serve as the foundation for a leadership philosophy rooted in respect for hands-on work and institutional memory. “A lot of those

Colonna’s Shipyard, Railway #3 Installed. Still in established by Charles J. service today, it continues to

Forged in Steel, teel,

Colonna. His original policy serve the regional commercial was “hard work, good value, maritime market including and fair dealing.” barges and