Mark Deroche

Mark C. DeRoche, 63, died unexpectedly of natural causes August 1, 2023, at his home in Eddington, ME. He was born June 30, 1960, in Bangor, Maine, the son of George J. DeRoche and Mary J (Cameron) DeRoche.

Mark graduated from Brewer High School, Class of 1979. He attended Washington County Community College in 1979, graduating with a degree in Boat Building in 1981. He pursued classes at Bangor Community College for two years 1981-1983. Continuing his education, he attended Southern Maine Community College for Marine Science. He graduated in 1985 with a degree in Marine Science and a 3rd Mates License.

Mark had been going to sea for more than 37 years before recently retiring. The last 22 years he worked with the Institute for Exploration and Ocean Exploration Trust. Mark was Deck Chief on the E/V Nautilus. He worked as chief of deck operations for oceanographer Dr. Ballard since 2000. He was in charge of safety on the back deck, responsible for the safe launch and recovery of all over the side equipment. Prior to that, he worked at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution for 12 years in a variety of seagoing capacities, from Messman to 2nd Mate on WHOI’s research vessel Atlantis II. He also worked as a contractor for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

A quote from one of the many articles he participated in "I knew in the 4th grade I wanted to go to sea. It wasn't until I was getting my degree in Marine Science that I narrowed it down to oceanographic ships and have been working on them ever since." Mark worked on a variety of ships, from tugboats to oceanographic research ships throughout his career. When not on the E/V Nautilus, Mark made his home in Maine.

Mark is survived by his brother Karl DeRoche and his wife, Damelis of Tampa, FL; sister M. Angela (DeRoche) Innis and her husband James of Carmel, ME; brother, Sandy DeRoche of Portland, ME; sister Bridget (DeRoche) Ruffino of Naples, Italy, brother, Matthew DeRoche and his wife, Brenda of Eddington, ME; sister Meghan (DeRoche) McAvoy and her husband, Ryan of Kenduskeag, ME; many nieces, nephews and their spouses, as well as, a great niece and nephew. Mark also had a great many aunts, uncles and cousins. Two of whom were very close to him, Joseph (Joe) DeRoche and Frank Arisimeek ll. He was predeceased by his parents and nephew, Cameron DeRoche. He will be fondly remembered by his seafaring community from all over the world.

Mark was an avid reader his entire life. There were not many subjects he did not have some knowledge of thanks to his love of reading. He could often be heard saying, “I read in a book somewhere...”. Mark could always be counted on to add his opinion or advice to any conversation or just talk about all he had seen or
done.

Mark would regale those around him, with stories of his travels throughout the world and her oceans. His travels were immense and almost beyond belief. He had visited every continent, so many countries, islands and cities - too numerous to list. He traversed all the world’s oceans and most of her seas. He crossed datelines and equators, explored the ocean’s deepest depths and most renown shipwrecks. He was blessed with a life of adventure and exploration, an immense amount of knowledge and experience, tales and stories to tell that would amaze all who heard.

He will be greatly missed by his family, friends, colleagues and more. He will live on in the stories and lore we tell of our beloved brother of the seas. May the wind always be at your back!

Relatives and friends are welcome to visit 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. Monday, August 7, 2023 at Brookings-Smith, 133 Center St. Bangor, ME. A funeral service will be held at 11:15 a.m. Tuesday, August 8, 2023 at the Brookings-Smith chapel. The family invites relatives and friends to share conversation and refreshments at the Family
Reception Center of Brookings-Smith immediately following the funeral service. Interment will be in Mount Pleasant Cemetery. Condolences to the family may be expressed at BrookingsSmith.com

In grateful acknowledgement to the Ocean Exploration Trust, we share the following record of just some of his adventures.
Mark participated in the following Ocean Exploration Trust expeditions:

2011
● Internal Wave Motion of the Southern Black Sea
● Coastal Landscape of Datça Peninsula
● Hellenic Volcanic Arc and Cretan Basin
● Submarine Volcanoes of the Aeolian Arc and Tyrrhenian Sea
● Mazarron Escarpment and the Alboran Sea
● Search for Serpentization on Gorringe Bank
● Submarine Volcanism in the Straits of Sicily
● Eastern Mediterranean Sea

2012
● Exploring the Southern Black Sea
● Turkey's Anaximander Mountains
● Eratosthenes Seamount
● Southeast Aegean Sea

2013
● Ecosystem Impacts of Oil and Gas Inputs to the Gulf (ECOGIG)
● Natural Hydrocarbon Detection Mapping
● Shipwreck 15577 - The Monterrey Wreck
● Natural Hydrocarbon Detection ROV/AUV
● Galveston to Cayman Transit
● Cayman Rise
● Greater Antilles
● Impact of Volcanic Eruptions on the Seafloor
● Kick’em Jenny & Trinidad Tar Seeps

2014
● Straits of Florida
● Dry Tortugas
● ECOGIG
● Exploring Unknown America
● Gulf Integrated Spill Research (GISR)
● Mesoamerican Reef
● Windward Passage Project
● Mapping Transit Montego Bay, Jamaica, to San Juan, Puerto Rico
● Anegada Passage & the British Virgin Islands' Seamounts
● Seafloor Mapping: British Virgin Islands to Grenada
● Kick 'em Jenny Submarine Volcano Project

2015
● ECOGIG
● Cold Methane Seeps in the Gulf of Mexico
● Gulf of Mexico Technology Exploration
● Panama Canal Crossing & Transit to the Galapagos
● Galapagos Rift Exploration
● Galapagos Rift
● Galapagos Platform
● Seamount Mapping
● California Borderlands: Our Unknown Backyard
● South/Central California Margin
● Ocean Networks Canada

2016
● Seafloor Mapping the National Marine Sanctuaries
● Ocean Networks Canada
● Seafloor Mapping the US EEZ
● Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary
● Central California Technology Testing
● Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary
● Quinault Canyon & Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary
● Heceta Bank
● Gulf of California
● Pescadero Basin
● Revillagigedo Archipelago

2018
● Southern California Mapping
● Cascadia Margin
● Cascadia Margin & Washington Mapping
● Northeast Pacific Seamounts
● Ocean Networks Canada
● Kamaʻehuakanaloa (formerly Lō`ihi Seamount)
● Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument
● Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary
● Submerged Shorelines of California Borderland

2019
● Osborn Bank
● California Mapping
● Gorda Ridge
● Pacific Seamounts
● Search for the Samoan Clipper
● Nikumaroro Island
● Baker and Howland Islands and Johnston Atoll
● Greater Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries
● Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary

2020
● West Coast Mapping
● Wiring the Abyss
● Olympic Coast NMS & Gradients of Blue Economic Seep Resources
● Central California NMS
● Channel Islands NMS & Santa Lucia Bank
● Benthic Communities and their Biopharmaceutical Potential
● US EEZ Mapping

2021
● Santa Barbara Basin & West Coast EEZ Mapping
● Cascadia Margin Seep Exploration
● Ocean Networks Canada
● ROV Recovery at Endeavour
● OECI Technology Demonstration: Nereid Under Ice (NUI) Vehicle + Mesobot
● Luʻuaeaahikiikapapakū - Ancient Volcanoes in Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument
● Luʻuaeaahikiikekualonokai - Chautauqua Seamounts

2022
● Kingman Reef & Palmyra Atoll
● Luʻuaeaahikiikekumu - Ancient Seamounts of Liliʻuokalani Ridge
● OECI Technology Integration
● Luʻuaeaahikiikawawāapalaoa: Dual-Technology Seafloor Mapping