What Ships Has Deadliest Catch's Wild Bill Captained?
Captain Bill "Wild Bill" Wichrowski has been a mainstay of Discovery's "Deadliest Catch" for well over a decade; having first joined the iconic crab-fishing reality series during its sixth season, he starred in an impressive 160 episodes since his initial appearance (via IMDB). Over the years, Wichrowski has earned a reputation as one of the most hot-headed and intimidating captains in the entire series — first earning the moniker of "Wild Bill" after enacting vigilante justice on a group of assailants who had injured his close friends (via Larry King Now).
Wichrowski also holds his crew to an extremely high standard and has not been shy about firing any deckhands or engineers that can't endure the dangerous lifestyle of a commercial fisherman. Although Wichrowski's aggressive style of management may seem somewhat abrasive on-screen, the series has made it clear that he has earned a great deal of respect from his fellow captains and crewmates — and is one of the most successful leaders within the entire series.
Indeed, one testament to Wichrowski's prowess as a leader is the sheer number of ships he's taken charge of over the years, having captained no less than six separate fishing vessels throughout his lifetime.
Wichrowski has captained six different ships throughout his career
When we first met Captain "Wild Bill" Wichrowski back in "Deadliest Catch" Season 6, he was the current captain of the F/V Kodiak, and throughout the series we've watched the prolific crab fisherman take charge of two other ships as well.
Wichrowski would captain the Kodiak until Season 9, which saw Wichrowski becoming the captain of the F/V Cape Caution. Season 13 saw Wichrowski relinquishing the command of Cape Caution to become the captain of the F/V Summer Bay, which he remains the captain of to this day. According to "Wild Bill" Wichrowski's official website, he has also captained three other ships that we haven't actually seen within the series: the F/V Zone Five, the F/V Arctic Eagle, and the F/V Sandra Five.
Because these ships never appeared within the series itself, we have limited information about when and where Wichrowski captained these vessels — though the "About" section from his personal website asserts that he spent 20 years as a crab fisherman prior to joining the series, and it's likely he captained all three of these boats during those two decades of work. In any case, the fact that Wichrowski has captained six different vessels in this incredibly dangerous line of work is a testament to his leadership skills and the respect he earns from his crew.