Lt. Gator Mejia is a navigator aboard the USS Nathan James. He is responsible for the coordinates and conditions that affect the ship's direction and movement.While Gator is an expert on the computerized navigation equipment, he has also proven that he can navigate without it if necessary. He got the NJ through a narrow coral reef when the ship was escaping the Russians after the Russians mined the area around the ship to keep it from escaping. The NJ was on radio and radar silence, so Gator had to use pen and paper to plot their course.Gator is also very aware of the various land masses surrounding the ship at any time. He identified the island whee the ship could stop and make crucial repairs to the engine. It took six days and the crew ran out of water, but they made it.Gator also marked a coral reef where Cmdr. Chandler and Tex may have reached after their rig went down after Bertrise's rescue. This was before the crew leaned that Chandler and Tex had been taken hostage by the Russians.