Captain Tachie-Menson returned home to Ghana in 1960 on Elder Dempster’s passenger liner, “AUREOL”. Later that year, in response to an urgent call on him by the Chairman and the Board of Directors of Ghana’s rapidly-expanding national Shipping Company, BLACK STAR LINE, which Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, the first President of Ghana, had formed soon after Ghana gained its independence from the United Kingdom, Captain Tachie-Menson joined the company.[2] Shortly thereafter, he was appointed as Captain of the s.s.”TANO RIVER”, one of the four ships owned and operated by BLACK STAR LINE at the time, thereby becoming not only the first black African to ever be appointed to command a merchant navy ship, but also the first Ghanaian to become a Master Mariner and Captain of a foreign-going vessel.[1][5][6][7][8]

Captain Tachie-Menson continued his career as a Captain with BLACK STAR LINE’s Fleet for several years, trailblazing several voyages across the Atlantic Ocean and through the Baltic and North Seas on the “TANO RIVER” and subsequently the “NASIA RIVER”.[1][9][10] It was in his capacity as Captain of these two ships that Captain Tachie-Menson first gained recognition and reverence in the North American continent, especially by notable civil rights activists in the United States.[11][12] The Captain would later serve as Chief Superintendent of BLACK STAR LINE’s marine office in London and, following his return to Ghana in the 1970s, became the MANAGING DIRECTOR and CEO of BLACK STAR LINE.[2][7]

Notably, in July 1977, he was one of three Shipping Executives (from Ghana, Nigeria and the United Kingdom) who, with their wives, were presented to Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II at a special maritime ceremony in England during the celebration of the Queen’s Silver Jubilee Anniversary on the British Throne.

Captain Tachie-Menson lives in Jupiter, Florida in the United States.[2] He is married to Veronica Tachie-Menson (née Hayford) and has nine (9) children: Cynthia, James, Charlotte, Charles, Michael, Ursula, Vanessa, Odette and Oddmund.

In addition to his accomplishments in the maritime industry, Captain Tachie-Menson is also well known as a musician, composer, conductor, editor, arranger and producer of choral music. His original compositions, a number of which were written while he was at sea, are established hymns in many churches in Ghana, and have also been sung by choirs in the United Kingdom and the United States.[2][15] His notable musical compositions include "Where is our God in whom we trust?”, “The New Born Prince of Peace”, “Afrehyia-Pa”, and “He is still our God” (‘Leonora’).[2][15] The tune from another of his original works, “Willevlutt”, has become the preferred tune for singing the hymn, “Hark, hark my soul”, in Ghanaian churches and by Ghanaian choirs in various parts of the world.[2] His compositions while living in the United States include an Opus Magnum, “How Lovely is Thy Dwelling,” which he was invited to compose in commemoration of the 25th year anniversary of Reverend Canon Kerry Robb as Rector of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Palm Beach Gardens, where the Captain and his wife were members of the choir.[2][15]

Besides composing music, the Captain, a staunch Anglican/Episcopalian, has also served as Organist and Choirmaster at various Anglican churches in Accra, Takoradi and Tema, most prominently at St. Barnabas Church in Osu, Accra.[2][15]

In 1960, the Captain acquired the British Board of Trade Certificate of Competency as Master Mariner, the qualification required for sailing as a Captain on British ships as well as other commercial liners, giving him the distinction of being the first African south of the Sahara to be qualified to command a ship operating on International/Trans-Ocean voyages.