Editorial: John Clandillon-Baker

Pilotage History Harry Hignett

Pension News Debbie Marten

Your Committee at WorkTotalTide Review JCB

In June I attended a Nautical InstituteSeminar in Bristol entitled the Master/PilotRelationship: A training need? Organisedby Bristol pilot Avald Wymark it broughttogether a full spectrum of maritime expertsto explore various problem areas of theMaster pilot relationship. The seminarconfirmed what most of us are aware of inthat the law covering pilotage is far fromclear cut. The seminar explored typicalscenarios where the Master/Pilot relation-ship may become strained and the outcomefrom the legal and P&I clubs was veryinformative. The most interesting fact toemerge was that in the case when damage isdone whilst manoeuvring with a pilotembarked. Both the legal and P&I Clubrepresentatives present confirmed that whenit came to apportioning blame there was noreal interest in who was responsible for thedamage since the P&I Club picked up thebill regardless of who caused it. This haslong been of concern to pilotage organ-isations since when the Master submits areport following damage in pilotage waters,human nature dictates that he will naturallyblame the pilot and this obviously distortsthe statistics! P&I Clubs are publishingstatistics revealing that “pilot error” isresponsible for 30% of port damage claimsand expressing deep concern at theescalating costs of each claim and statisticsare being used by the anti-pilot lobby todepict us as an unnecessary and expensive(even dangerous!) accessory to the bridgeteam. IMPA has calculated that a moreaccurate figure is 7%-10% which is a vastdifference. However, care is needed in chall-enging the status quo since one of thereasons that the P&I Clubs don’t feel theneed to delve too deeply into apportioningblame is a result of the limitation of liabilitycovering pilots. This historical limitation isalso starting to be questioned and indeedchallenged and there is an increasing lobbyto get the legalities covering pilots“modernised”. The Master/Pilot relation-ship is therefore a debate that pilots need tobe fully involved with.

My report on the seminar is on thewebsite at www.pilotmag.co.uk

John Clandillon-BakerEmail: john@pilotmag.co.uk

Editorial

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July 2004 No.278The official organ of the United Kingdom Maritime Pilots’Association

DIVIDE D W E FALL

UNITE

DWESTAND

In This Issue

PILOTAGE HISTORYHarry Hignett

Finchale Priory: last resting place of St. Godric (the Patron Saint of pilots?)

PART 1: ANTIQUITY TO 1900Although pilotage will have been under-taken since vessels first started trading andancient texts such as Homer’s Iliad fromthe 7th century BC make vague referencesto pilots one of the most precise earlywritten descriptions of a pilot’s work wasaround 64 AD.

“The passage is difficult because of theshoals at the mouth of the river. Because of

this, the native fishermen in the King’sservice go up the coast to Syrastrene(Surat) to meet the ships. And they steerthem straight and true from the mouth ofthe bay between the shoals with theircrews and they tow them to fixed stationsgoing up with the flood and lying throughthe ebb at anchorages and in basins. Thesebasins are deeper places in the river as faras the port, which lies about 10 stadia upfrom the mouth.”

The majority of serving UK pilots have joined the service since the implementation of the1987 Pilotage Act and many are probably largely unaware of the origins of the UKMPA.June marked the 120th anniversary of the UKMPA (originally the UKPA) and for the 1984centenary Manchester pilot Harry Hignett (now retired) wrote a book detailing the historyof the UKPA. Long since out of print this book is now unknown to the majority of pilotsbut it contains much interesting research. Harry has recently updated this original workbut having failed to find a publisher for the book he has permitted me to place it on mywebsite for all to access. As an introduction Harry has kindly agreed to provide an editedversion for inclusion in the magazine which I will be running over two issues.

RISAPLondon Pilots pilot Concorde JCB

Liverpool Pilotage during WW2 RF Youde

SM Bass & Co. - Merchant Navy UniformsObituariesLetter

July 2004 2 The Pilot

In this extract we can recognise the workof an estuary or river pilot from the earliesttimes until the steamship arrived onto themaritime scene.

In the UK one of the earliest records isfrom the 12th Century. Godric was born inNorfolk in 1069 and became a Chapman(travelling salesman carrying his ownwares). He turned to carrying them notonly using the inland waterways but alsoon coasting vessels along the coast andacross the North Sea to Denmark. Hemade the trip so often that he eventuallybecame a ship owner at one time owningfour ships. A “colourful” character he wasactually referred to by some as a piratebefore he turned his energies to religiousfervour and sub-sequently gave all hisconsiderable wealth to charity! Such washis skill of navigation that he was asked topilot vessels and he became famous notonly for his pilotage skills but also for hisability to forecast the weather. Giving uphis pilotage career around 1110 he becamea hermit and was later canonised becomingSt. Godric of Finchale (near Durham). Hedied in 1170 at the amazing age of 101,and his hermitage became Finchale Priorywhere his tomb (despite being pillagedmany centuries ago) can still be visited.

Later references to pilots are for Londonand include a 1387 reference to a “Pilot ofthe Black Deeps” (Thames Estuary). OtherLondon records from a log-book revealthat pilotage charges on the Thames in the1400’s were as follows:

to the losmanne whosailed me into the Temse . . . 10s 6d

to the man who led theshippe through the bridge . . . . . 8d

to the man who led theshippe into the dock . . . . . . . . . . 6d

The first organisation of UK pilotagewas established by Trinity House and in1457 the Trinity House of Hull was anexclusive maritime organization which in1512 passed an ordinance restrictingpilotage between Hull and the mouth ofthe Humber to members of Hull TrinityHouse. The founding of the Corporationof Trinity House on the Thames was in1514. There were initially, 40 members(mostly pilots), 8 assistants, four wardensand the master. For the first fifty years theCorporation was, to all intents andpurposes, exclusively concerned withpilotage, and most of the senior memberswere important naval officials, shipmastersor both.

The Cinque Ports pilotage was formallyinaugurated in 1527 in Dover and beforethe end of the sixteenth century there wasstrife between the Dover pilots and theirTrinity House counterparts because, whenthey disembarked off the Cinque Ports, the

Corporation pilots attempted to pilotinward bound ships. However, the boatingservices were provided by relatives andfriends of the Dover pilots and they werenaturally reluctant to offend the CinquePorts pilots. The Corporation pilotstherefore had to travel home by land, ajourney of at least two days via Canterburyto Gravesend and thence by boat toDeptford. Naturally the Cinque Portspilots found similar difficulty in obtainingvessels to pilot from the Thames outwards.One may criticise one-way pilotage asbeing wasteful and inefficient, but ships inthe days of sail arrived in great numbersaccording to the winds and travelling incompany against pirates and enemy ships.Pilots near a pilot station remained athome on stand-by. So began the Thamespilotage system; Trinity House outwards,Cinque Ports inwards.

The Cinque Ports Pilotage Act of 1717was the first parliamentary legislationcovering pilotage. The Dover pilots nowhad something that Trinity House had notand the Elder Brethren applied for theirown legislation. The next Pilotage Act,passed in 1732, confirmed the provisionsof the 1717 Act and, gave exemption to theTrinity Houses of Hull, and Newcastlewherever their respective jurisdictionsoverlapped.

In the mid 1700’s establishing longitudeat sea was difficult and many shipmastersfeared to approach the Isles of Scilly, withrocks that made the area a noted graveyardfor ships. The fishermen of the Scilliesbegan to take up pilotage, meeting thevessels well out of sight of land andguiding them past the Isles up the channeland by 1800 they conducted ships to allparts of the British Isles and the coasts ofFrance and Belgium. The successfulapplication of parliamentary legislation ledto several local Pilotage Acts, includingthose for Boston, Lincs, in 1774 and Hullin 1800 which were older establishedports. In the late 18th century newindustrial ports such as Swansea appearedreceiving its first pilotage regulations in1791.

The first comprehensive Pilotage Act wasplaced on the stature book in 1808, “AnAct for the better regulation of Pilots andof the Pilotage of Ships and vesselsnavigating the British seas”. Its mostimportant provisions were the estab-lishment of compulsory pilotage in alldistricts where licensed pilots wereavailable and the authority was given tothe Deptford Trinity House to formpilotage districts where it was deemednecessary to control pilots and regulatepilotage. Almost immediately 35 TrinityHouse “outports” appeared around thecoast of Britain. The 1808 Act wasreplaced in 1812 but re-enacted most ofthe provisions of its predecessor and gave

the Trinity Houses of Hull and Newcastlethe powers they had exercised previouslyand also in “any ports or harbours orplaces within the limits of their respectivejurisdictions”. All licensed pilots wererequired, in an entirely new section, toexecute a bond for their good behaviour inthe sum of £100. This requirement hasbeen carried through to the present daywith the amount unchanged.

An important section of the Actattempted to define the responsibility andrights of the ship owner, master, and owneror consignee of the cargo, with regard toany damage to ship, goods or personsoccurring through “neglect, default,incompetency or incapacity of any pilottaken under the provisions of the Act.”Another Pilotage Act was passed in 1825and prolonged the existing situation,without easing the litigation then givingthe industry extra worries.

In 1835 a Royal Commission wasinstituted to look into the “existing laws,regulations, and practises under whichpilots are appointed, governed and paid inthe British Channel and the severalapproaches to the Port of London, andalso in the navigation connected with theother principal ports in the UnitedKingdom.” It was the first major inquiryinto pilotage and one of the main items inthe findings and report of the Commissionwas the recommendation that there shouldbe a central body to control all pilotageaffairs. Alas the ensuing Pilotage Act of1836 did not include this far-reachingproposal. The Merchant Shipping Act of1854 included and consolidated most ofthe existing legislation on pilotage, as didthe Merchant Shipping Act of 1894.

Further inquiries arose in 1860, 1870and 1880: that of 1870 being particularlysignificant being specifically instituted tostudy compulsory pilotage since it dev-eloped into a major study of all aspects ofpilotage lasting three months. However, itsfindings were ignored by Parliament. Atthe end of the 19th century it was againobvious that the existing legislation wasoutdated and inadequate and, after asearching inquiry in 1910/11, the PilotageAct of 1913 came into being.

The Nineteenth Century:The Coming of SteamThe years from 1800 to 1914 were themost difficult any pilots have had to face.Iron ships and screw propulsion appearedmid-century, improving standards andspeeds but pilots had to handle ships up toeight times larger, with single screwpropulsion. When shipowners realised thatships were no longer dependent on windand tides they suggested that pilots wereno longer as important and proposedreductions in pilotage tariffs. The 19th

The Pilot 3 July 2004

Century opened peacefully but by 1803Britain and France were once again at warwhich continued until the Battle ofWaterloo in 1815. There followed a periodof peace in Britain for nearly the next 100years but it was anything but peace andcontentment for pilots. The Pilotage Act of1808 promoted a wider regulation ofpilotage than previously, but the 1812 Actincluded an extra paragraph:

“No owner or master of any ship shallbe answerable for any loss or damage for,or by reason of, any neglect, default orincompetence of any pilot taken on boardof any such ship under or in pursuance ofthe provisions of this Act.”

A somewhat simple idea, but theinterpretation of this clause by the courtsbrought chaos for shipowners and pilotsalike and fortunes for the lawyers in theAdmiralty Courts. The clause grantedabsolute freedom from claims for anydamage done to other vessels or propertyto ships under compulsory pilotage. i.e. ifship ‘A’ under compulsory pilotagecollided with ship ‘B’, a barge or any othervessel not subject to compulsory pilotage,ship ‘A’ was free from liability even when,under normal circumstances she would beat fault. Under this clause ship ‘A’ was alsofree from liability for damages afterstriking a shore installation.

In 1824 another Pilotage Act replacedthe 1812 Act, a section of which made itpossible for a non-British vessel to enter orleave British ports without pilots.

Modern administrationDuring the early part of the 19th centuryBritish vessel entering and leaving the Tyneenjoyed preferential rates of pilotage. Theadvantage over foreign vessels was endedby the 1824 Act that gave equal treatmentto foreign vessel wherever their govern-ments gave similar treatment to Britishvessels. To compensate the Tyne pilots forthe loss they would have sustained theywere to be paid, by the Treasury,“Reciprocity Money”, viz. the differencebetween the old and the new tariffs forforeign vessels. Newcastle Trinity Houseclaimed the full difference for all vesselsentering the Tyne although many neverwent above the entrance, but the pilotswere paid only on the ships they piloted.The unclaimed pilotage was then allocatedto the Superannuation Fund, although thepilots disputed the right of NewcastleTrinity House to retain the money anddemanded a full distribution of theamounts involved. The Newcastle auth-ority refused and was unwilling or unableto account for the money.

In 1861 the Treasury discontinuedReciprocity Money, but as compensationthe pilots were to receive, for a ten-yearperiod, a sum equal to the Reciprocity

Money paid in 1861 of which only 50%was handed to the pilots. The pilotscommenced legal proceedings against theElder Brethren who in turn sent for thepilots’ leaders, senior pilots, JohnHutchinson and Robert Blair. The twopilots refused to attend and werethreatened with dismissal. NewcastleTrinity House then began to examine andlicense local fishermen. The two pilots thenwent to London, to the Board of trade andParliament. In 1863 an order byParliament forced Trinity House to publishthe accounts that showed a balance ofmore than £20,000 although furtherunclaimed pilotage of over £3,207 was notshown in the accounts. A long legal battlewith Trinity House at Newcastle ensuedfrom which the pilots emerged successfuland a new body, the Tyne PilotageCommissioners, was formed in 1865. Itwas proved that Trinity House hadwithheld over £24,000 from the pilotswhose average wage at that time wasabout £180 per annum; the Elder Brethrenclaimed £3,500 for expenses incurred inopposing the Parliamentary Bills andother legal proceedings. Of the pilots,Hutchinson and Blair, they were to becomefounder members of the UKPA almosttwenty years later.

An inquiry into pilotage in 1835, wasthe first to open up the subject in depth,covering all major British ports and foundthat to make pilotage entirely optionalwould “hold out a boon to the foolhardy”recommending that certain exceptions tocompulsory pilotage be made for vessel inthe short sea trades. The Commissioners

suggestion that there was a need for acentral body to control local authoritieswas ignored. About this time the pilots ofthe east coast ports were badly hit byParliamentary legislation giving prefer-ential taxes to the Canadian trades. Timberfrom the Baltic abruptly dropped to aminimum. Pilots of the west coasts such asLiverpool and Bristol found their incomesrising, just another example of the wildswings and variations of incomes due topolitical decisions.

A further Act in 1840 covered manyaspects of pilotage and continuedexemptions from compulsory pilotage tonon-British vessels flying the flags ofcountries having so-called reciprocaltreaties with Britain. Several decades laterthe Board of Trade was to use thisprovision against British pilots even to theextent of allowing complete falsehoods tobe used about exemptions for British-flagvessels in continental ports.

In 1853 an Act of Parliament dissolvedthe Court of Loadmanage of the CinquePorts and it effectively became a TrinityHouse Outport. One of the conditions wasthat the pilots could retain their licenseswhich were issued for the district fromDungeness to London Bridge and vice-versa. It was this condition that was toprove so disastrous for the Cinque Portpilots some thirty years later.

At the 1888 Inquiry into Pilotage, it wasstated that on the Thames there wasbribery and corruption and that a fewpilots had obtained more “choice” workthan they could handle and farmed it outmaking considerable income in additions

A Falmouth Cutter of the 1890s

July 2004 4 The Pilot

to their ordinary fees. Trinity Houseseemed to meet the situation with completeinaction.

The Parliamentary SelectCommittee of 1870The Merchant Shipping Act of 1854collected all the pilotage laws then in forceand re-enacted them into part V. In 1860ship owners, still affected by the freedomfrom liability of compulsory pilotedvessels, again attacked the principle ofcompulsory pilotage at the meeting of theParliamentary Select Committee intoShipping. The Committee recommendedits abolition but Parliament took no action.In 1870 the Parliamentary Select Com-mittee again examined pilotage with termsof reference that were much the same asthe previous committees. But this was themost comprehensive Inquiry ever withwitnesses from all sections of the shippingindustry, port authorities and GovernmentDepartments. The Deputy Master ofTrinity House and the Principal of theMarine Department of the BoT, each spentdays explaining the vagaries of the severalpilotage systems.

In the decade1871-81 there was greatunrest among pilots especially in theBristol Channel since towards the end ofthe 1850’s the ports of Cardiff, Newportand Gloucester had begun a campaign toremove the superiority claimed by BristolCorporation in the matter of pilotage sincethe 16th century. Their efforts wererewarded in 1861 by the passing of an Actthat gave them independence in their ownpilotage affairs. This had the effect ofdisturbing the pilotage income of theBristol pilots and caused a number of themto move across the Channel to take licensesat Cardiff.

In the last half of the 19th century theUK shipping industry was subject to severecycles of economic booms and depressionsof the British overseas trades. The imp-rovement in steam propulsion bringinglarger vessels tended to reduce incomes andbring disorder to working routines androtas of pilots. But the underlying cause ofthe pilots’ apprehension was still the clausein the 1812 Pilotage Act relating to thefreedom of liability for vessels subject tocompulsory pilotage and it was also thecause of about seven major Governmentalinquiries into pilotage. This clause can besaid to have led indirectly to the formationof the United Kingdom Pilots’ Association.

The Origins of the UnitedKingdom Pilots’ AssociationIt was the situation in the Bristol Channel,particularly at Bristol that broughttogether all the parties most likely to

form a core of a national body since aseries of events there as a result of thechange in the nature of maritime trafficand trade, in particular a growth of thenew South Wales industrial ports.

In the 1870’s Samuel Plimsoll, cam-paigning for increased safety for Britishships and seamen, called together anumber of interested parties: MPs,shipowners and mariners. Known as thePlimsoll Committee, the secretary wasPlimsoll’s brother-in-law Roger Moore, aBristol toilet-soap manufacturer. One ofthose consulted by Plimsoll’s Committeewas Captain George Cawley, an ex-perienced shipmaster, and part owner of asteamship, who later left the sea to take apost ashore. A few months after beingappointed pilot master at Cardiff he hadbeen drawn into a serious dispute betweenthe 84 pilots there and the port manage-ment.

A channel dredged through notoriousbanks, the Cefyn-y-wrack shoal, in theapproaches to Cardiff docks, silted up. InMarch 1878 pilot John Howe, refused totake the Royal Minstrel to sea with a draftof 24 ft 8 inches. The dockmaster said thatthere was 25 ft of water over the shoal atthe time. A month later, David Samuel alsorefused to pilot a ship to sea in similarcircumstances. The charterer of bothvessels complained that his ships had beenneaped and thereby delayed three days.Both pilots were suspended. The Cardiffpilots wanted a strike. But Cawleyresigning in disgust, advised the pilotsto lobby for support from Plimsoll’sCommittee.

Within a month Plimsoll had visitedCardiff, and verified the pilots’ complaints.A few weeks later, he raised the matter inParliament causing the Board of Trade toask the Cardiff authorities to explain theiractions. There was enough of an outcry fora local inquiry to be set up in 1879 andtwo seats were subequently allocated forthe pilots on the new Pilotage Board.

Across the water the 37 pilots at Bristolwere also unhappy about the actions orinactions of their pilotage authority.With 37 apprentices and 74 Westernmen(time-served apprentices), any fall intraffic affected the whole village of Pill – avillage of watermen and pilots on the RiverAvon about a mile from its confluencewith the Severn. The traditional workingroutine could mean a loss of income ofdisastrous proportions if “choice”(appropriate) pilotage appeared.

The pilots did not work a “turn” or“rota” system, but sailed in competitionthe first pilot to board an incoming vesselnormally given the work and he wouldalso claim the outward pilotage. InNovember 1880, however, a firm of Bristolshipowners, the Great Western ShippingCompany, with a very successful line

across the North Atlantic, built severallarger steam vessels to cope with the tradeand resolved to have their own “choice”Bristol pilots. The masters were instructedto take only the pilots displaying the pre-arranged signal. Three pilots were covertlyselected and informed of the date and timeof arrival of the ships.

In December the same year one of these“choice” pilots, on the way to sail hiscutter from Pill Creek, encountered some50 women and boys and was tarred andfeathered. A week later the Westernmenwent on strike – licensed pilots could not.The “choice” pilots tried in vain to getboat- men at Ilfracombe, (some 30 milesdown the coast) to take them to a couple ofinward-bound ships. Returning to Pillthey were blocked from taking theircutter to sea by a chain made fast to abollard which had been organised by theowner of the local inn, Captain HenryLangdon (then current secretary of theBristol Pilots’ Association).

At the suggestion of Roger Moore,Tamlin, with Edward Edwards of Cardiff,met representatives of the Bristol Pilots’Association, Craddy (chairman), Langdonand Joseph Browne at the Waterloo Hotel,Pill. Initially a Bristol Channel Pilots’Association was envisaged, but thosepresent encompassed pilots from otherdistricts, and they suggested forming aBritish Association

There were favourable responses fromall the major pilot districts around theBritish Coasts. In October 1883 a meetingat Bristol, of representatives from thelargest ports decided to form a nationalbody using the services of the Bristol Pilots’Association. Plimsoll was approached tobe chairman, but being heavily involved inParliament refused and suggested CaptainGeorge Cawley.

The Early YearsThe Inaugural Conference opened on 11thJune 1884 in the Athenæum Hall, Bristol.Supported by a few remarks from BedfordPim, the 30 delegates from a total of 18 UKports approved the selection of CaptainGeorge Cawley, Lt RNR, as president.Observers from Spain and Denmark alsoattended. Roger Moore represented theAmerican Pilots’ Association.

Henry Langdon, as Secretary, statedthere were 3,168 pilots in the British Islesand in 1883 they piloted 168,418 vesselsfor an income of £427,532; the associationhoped to redress wrongs, repeal bad lawsand obtain proper representation.

The subscriptions were agreed at 12shillings per year. Towards the end of theConference, which lasted two days,Cawley reminded the delegates, to becareful to maintain a watch that no furtherattack on compulsory pilotage should be

The Pilot 5 July 2004

made.The Second Conference was held in

London in 1885 with 50 delegates – 20more than attended the previous year –and representing 28 ports. The Secretary’sreport gave the membership as beingbetween 1,200 and 1,300 out of a possible2,955 licensed pilots many of whom wereearning less than £30 per annum.

Liverpool, the venue for the thirdConference was in the throes of a severedepression, but its maritime system andconnections were unsurpassed in efficiencybut not economy. Cawley informedmembers that just before the Conference,he learned that two Poole pilots had beensuspended for six months for attending theprevious year’s conference without per-mission even though their colleagues hadcarried out the work in their absence.

In the following year, 1887, at SouthShields the Committee introduced twonew officers, JT Board, solicitor andA Northmore Jones, barrister. In futurethe legal work would be separate from theday-to-day work of the Association.

In a debate, Bristol pilots explained thatas the average age of their pilots was 54their pension funds needed supplementing,they were promoting a Parliamentary Billto amend the local Act. Robert Blair (Tyne)said that the main problem in the Tyne wasthat 30 of the 161 pilots took two thirds ofthe gross pilotage income. Again this wasdue to the effects of “choice” pilotage.

At the sixth Conference, in London themembers looked back with satisfaction atthe development of the UKPA which hadbeen formed to protect the principle ofcompulsory pilotage, to ensure that pilotshad proper representation on pilotagebodies and to maintain a watch on thefunds which pilots were expected tocontribute to.

The 1889 Pilotage Bill was about to passthrough Parliament and each clause wasdebated with great thoroughness andenthusiasm. Alien pilotage and pilotageexemption certificates were again points ofirritation. In another direction many pilotstried to have a clause inserted to make thetowage of vessels without pilots illegal.

Thus the pattern of the work of theUKPA was set in the first six years. Whenthe Merchant Shipping Act (Pilotage)1889 came into force the members foundthat more then half of their wishes hadbeen incorporated in its provisions. Themoderate success provided a guide to theirfuture actions. The new Act, however, wasnot without loopholes.

In the early 1890’s Trinity House camein for strong criticism for its apathy inmany respects of pilotage administration.It was said that their pilots were requiredto produce certificates from magistrates orclergymen that they were “well affected tothe Sovereign and her Government”, but a

foreign subject could behanded a pilotage certificateat his will.

1895 - 1900In South Wales, Llanellipilots were threatened withabolition of compulsorypilotage. Initially they hadapproached the Associationfor advice, but an offer oflegal aid had not been takenup and, at the CardiffConference in 1895, therewas a note of discord. Threetimes the Llanellirepresentatives were asked inopen session to comment. They felt thatMr Northmore Jones could be placedunder “social influence” and therefore theyfelt his services should not be used.Apparently Northmore Jones’ serviceswere taken up a couple of years later, forthe Association had fought the challenge tocompulsory pilotage at Llanelli and werepreparing to ward off yet another attack.

In the years immediately before the endof the 19th century incomes were an everpresent topic and the Executive Committeewere at pains to search every corner tofind arguments for the negotiations. In1898 they suggested that as pilots were

also quarantine officers, they shouldreceive an allowance from the State.This idea was to be taken up by theirMPs. The passing of the 1894 MerchantShipping Act, which incorporated thepilotage provisions of the 1889 Act,unfortunately did little for pilots and thiswas reflected in attendances at conferenceswhich began to decrease even thoughincomes were declining.

Pilots’ incomes at the turn of theCentury pilotage incomes averaged about£300 per annum.

to be continued

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The Centenary UKPA postal cover

PNPF AND THE SECRETARIATBy the time you read this article we willhave been at Sevenoaks for almost a year –I know they say time flies the older you get,but this is ridiculous. I am very pleased tosay that a few of our pensioners havefound us and dropped in. We run an opendoor policy so if you are in the area pleasepop in.

ANNUAL ACCOUNTS 2003The Trustees’ Annual Report and Accountsfor 2003 were sent to all active members inJuly. If you have not received your copyand would like one please contact theSecretariat and we will get a copy off toyou pronto.

EARLY PAYMENT OF DEFERREDPENSIONSAt the meeting held on 11th May 2004 theTrustees amended Rule 22 to allow theearly payment (i.e. before age 60 forexisting members and age 65 for newjoiners) of deferred pensions. In additiondeferred pensions taken before normalretirement will receive a pro rata increasefor the first year in payment.

CERTIFICATES OF EXISTENCEFollowing the annual audit of the 2003accounts the auditors recommended thatthe Fund carry out a pensioner verificationexercise and in April Certificates ofExistence were sent out with the P60s.

I know that none of us (me included) liketo complete what we consider superfluousforms, so a very big thank you for thoseof you who have returned your comp-leted forms. When the exercise was carriedout in 1997 we had a 100% return rateand your co-operation in maintainingthis unblemished record is greatlyappreciated.

P60s FOR YEAR ENDING 5 APR 2004The P60s for the 2003/04 tax year weresent out in April and if you have notreceived your copy please notify the

Secretariat. Under current legislation weare unable to issue duplicate copies, but wecan confirm the year to date figures in aletter for Inland Revenue purposes.

CHANGING THE RETIREMENT AGEHaving been away on holiday for the pastfew weeks I have come back to find thatthe current hot topic in pensions is theissue of the retirement age – should it be65 or 70 and whether it should becompulsory.

In the media this issue has provokedheadlines such as ‘work till you drop’and ‘millions have retirement plansruined’. Yet Alan Pickering, a partner atWatson Wyatt believes it is a “win-win”situation and a positive step for everyone,as individuals need not be pensioned off intheir prime and it takes some pressure offthe pension system. As having a comp-ulsory age of 70, but paying benefits at age65 could help employees mix pension andpaid income while they gradually work-down from full-time employment.

For those of us who do not want to worklonger (most of us) the freedom to carry onworking does not mean that we have to.The real issue is being able to afford toretire when we want to.

COMPUTER UPGRADEAt the time of writing this article theSecretariat is having its computerequipment upgraded to drag us into the21st century. I sincerely hope that by thetime you read this all the glitches have beencleared and we are back to our usuallyefficient selves and that no-one has beeninconvenienced by this upgrade.

PENSIONS BILLThe Pensions Bill is currently making itsway through Parliament and shouldreceive Royal assent in November at thelatest. During the course of its passage

through Parliament it has been subject toquite a few amendments particularly inrespect to strengthening the security ofpensions. Once the details are finalised Iam sure the Bill will be the subject of futurearticles in this magazine, as its proposalswill affect us all.

MEMBERSHIP STATISTICSAlthough membership and beneficiarystatistics are published in the Pilots’National Pension Fund Annual report andAccounts, it might be of some interest if Iwere to include them from time to time inthese articles.

The position at the end of January 2004,updated with the changes over thefollowing three months are shown below.

Enjoy the summer!

Debbie MartenDebbie@pnpf.co.uk

July 2004 6 The Pilot

PENSION NEWS

RetirementsFebruary 2004 - April 2004CM Wilton SE Wales

JanuaryIM Greig Forth

March

Pilots Emp’d Self-E’d Total

At 31/01/04 63 191 254

Add

New members – 3 3

Deduct

Retirements 1 1 2

Resigned 1 1 2

At 30/04/04 61 192 253

Beneficiaries Males Females Total

At 31/01/04 965 485 1450

Add

New Pensioners 2 9 11

New Dependants – – –

Deduct

Deaths 14 8 22

At 30/0/04 953 486 1439

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The Pilot 7 July 2004

CHAIRMAN’S REPORT

LegalThe Small Port (self-employed pilots)retainer is in place for ports with 10 or lesspilots at an annual rate of £2,500. I havenegotiated a new Small Port (employedpilots) retainer for ports with 16 or lesspilots for a similar annual rate of £2,500.The retainer allows two hours of work oncontracts and other pilotage matters andany time contact from myself on day to daymatters. The T&G central financedepartment has agreed to pay the retainerswhich have been arranged through BlakeLapthorn Linnel the T&G approvedUKMPA solicitors. The commercialcontract legal work is the responsibility ofMark Foden and our employment lawcontact is Phillip Broom.

In the last 6 months the UKMPA hasbeen dealing with renewal of contracts inthe self-employed districts of Poole,Gloucester and Dundee and in theemployed districts of the Tyne and SEWales. We are assisting with variousemployment matters in Belfast thatinvolved a ballot for industrial action overT&G recognition. Legal opinions havebeen sought on Incident reports, liabilityinsurance and disciplinary controlregarding active or passive escort towage.The feedback I am receiving from districtsthat have received the benefit of the efficientand comprehensive legal assistance that hasbeen put in place is very encouraging. It ismy intention to build on this and make itmore all encompassing for all districts inthe future.

D f TThe regular quarterly meetings with thePorts Division are continuing with frequentcontact by phone and e-mail. It is verylikely that there will be a new MerchantShipping Bill laid down before parliamentnext year with the possibility ofamendments to the Pilotage Act attached.

EuropeThere is to be a second attempt at a PortAccess Directive that will involve anotherthree years of defending our position ofopposition to competition. This is Layolade Palacio’s parting shot before returning toSpanish politics. The make up of the EU ismarkedly different this time aroundespecially in the UK. I will be lobbying andmeeting with all parties as early as possible.

IMPAAttended seventeenth IMPA Congress 28thJune to 2nd July.

CHIRPThe quarterly Marine Advisory Boardmeetings continue and issues of PEC abusehave been on the agenda and the portsconcerned have been notified. The replieshave been one of arrogant indignation thatany one should question the way a CHAconducts its affairs!

EMPAAn extraordinary General meeting will betaking place in Paris on the 10th ofSeptember to agree the Internal Rules of thenewly formed non-profit Association.

In addition to this EGM I will also beattending the EMPA Executive meeting on1st and 2nd of Sept and the Council ofPresidents’ meeting on 8th and 9th Sept.

SECTION COMMITTEE REPORTAs usual the Section Committee have beenkept busy attending meetings and seminarsin order to safeguard the interests ofmembers. Whilst full details and the reportsfrom SC members are on the main UKMPAwebsite the following is a brief resume oftheir activities:

Joe Wilson, Vice Chairman (Tees Pilot) • Trustee of PNPF - preparing for

valuation. • Involved with Dave Devey on the

Humber case • Assisting Port of Tyne Pilots with

contract • Setting up RISAP for UK (see page 9)• Involved with maintaining UKMPA web

site (along with Julian Lancaster [TeesPilot])

• Attending a SeaVision meeting inLondon in July

• Involved with Honourable Company ofMaster Mariners

• Attend Sea and Water meetings. • Attended EMPA AGM in Antwerp in

February • Attended IMPA Congress in Istanbul

July

John Pretswell, Secretary & Treasurer(Forth Pilot)• Association Accounts and Budget• Scottish Pilots’ representative

Don Cockrill (London)• VTS Steering Group• Attends and monitors Transport Select

Committee Parliamentary Shippingdebate.

• EMPA Monitoring progress on theMARNIS project

• IMO. Attended MSC 78 in May andNAV 50 in June

Paul Haysome (Great Yarmouth)• Small Ports representative • Insurances• Advisory Committee on Protection of

the Sea: www.acops.org– attended AGM

• Attended Parliamentary TransportCommittee meeting taking Evidencefrom MCA 31/03/04www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200304/cmselect/cmtran/500/4033102.htm

• Conducted UKMPA Membership Survey– with view to recruitment.

• Produces Minutes for SectionCommittee†meetings and InterimDelegate’s Meeting ( I sympathise. ed!!)

Geoff Taylor (Tees Pilot)• IMPA (Senior Vice Chairman)• Covers national and international areas

of relevance to pilots in particular atpresent:

• Highlighting the dangers of rushingdown a shore based pilotage.

• Promoting the public service role of thepilot to protect the shore and the SSIlittered estuaries and rivers.

• Preparing a paper into IMO on mooringand towing lines, bitts and mooringequipment.

• Pilot ladder safety

Kristian Pederson (Swansea)• Represents interests of pilots in region 6.

Recently assisted in successfullysupporting the rights of an injured pilot

• Member of the Technical & TrainingCommittee

David Devey (Liverpool)• Representative of Northwest UK Pilots• Attended UKHM Conference• Ongoing support of HPL Members• Attended Safety at Sea Conference at

Greenwich

TECHNICAL & TRAININGCOMMITTEEChairman John Wright: Meets twice peryear. The committee looks at all aspectscovering pilots’ safety and training.Currently the Committee is closely involvedwith the ECTS project in conjunction withEMPA.

N.B. John Wright and Trevor Woodsintend to stand down from thecommittee at the next conference.New recruits are needed. Thiscommittee has produced someexcellent papers and should besupported.

YOUR COMMITTEE AT WORK

July 2004 8 The Pilot

The productThe program is provided on a single CD Rom which will only runon the MS Windows operating system although the UKHO informme that it will run on later versions of the “MAC” fitted withWindows compatibility.

With the tidal data protected by Crown Copyright The UKHOare understandably paranoid about piracy and the (too long)access code provided with the program needs to be supplementedby a permanent key code obtained by registration either by emailor post. Once the permanent key code is entered the use of theprogram is limited to two computers and each one requires its ownpermanent key, however, the UKHO are currently working on anedition which will be able to run on networked computers. Oncethe permanent key is obtained the program use is unlimited butupdates for additional ports can be obtained annually for an extracharge.

The displayOnce the program is running the screen consists of a chart of theworld along with two sub windows: List and Filter

The “List” provides a list of all the ports and streams purchased The “Filter” provides configurable data for selected use from the

list of ports and streams.The whole display can be configured with open data panels to

individual user requirements.

The chart displayUpon opening, the display default is for tidal stream data using thecurrent date / time from the computer’s clock so in common withall time based programs if your computer clock is incorrectly setthen the data displayed will be rubbish! Once the program isrunning the time zone required by the operator can easily bechosen and set. Scrolling the chart is the easiest way to navigatearound the various areas / ports and there are various ways ofpanning and zooming around the display. If data is required for aport whose location is not known then typing in the port’s nameor part of it in the search box will highlight the port on the list ifit is in the database. Right clicking on the port will provide anoption for that port to be centred on the chart.

This basic display is suitable for most usage since uponzooming in on the chart, local “standard” and “Secondary”ports and other tidal data points are displayed and clicking onthese brings up an additional data window. However in theinterests of research (I do suffer for my readership!) I decided tocustomise a “Filter” for the Thames Estuary. One word sums upthis exercise and that is: perverse!! Wishing just to produce adisplay for the Thames Estuary with a dozen or so tidal data

centres involved working through the whole list of areas andports right clicking on hundreds to exclude the data points notrequired in order to select those that were!! Why on earth asimple select system of just clicking on the data points requiredis not used totally defies logic! There also doesn’t appear to beany facility to edit this filter data once it has been saved withoutcreating a new list.

The tidal dataZooming in on the chart display firstly brings up the standardports then the secondary ports and tidal streams for an area.Further zooming brings up additional data for the ports providinginformation as to whether the tide is flooding or ebbing plus thetime and height of the next high or low water. The tidal streamshave a tag displaying the direction and rate of the tide.

The time / date for a tidal calculation can be changed by variousmeans but I found them all rather fiddly. In my opinion, a simplerequest box for entering the required date and time would be moreuser friendly!

However, once the default or input time and date is selectedadditional information is easily acquired. Double clicking oneither port or stream data brings up a window containing muchuseful supplementary data.

Tidal streamsThe additional data on the tidal stream “diamonds” is a table ofdirection and rate as found on a normal chart along with detailedtables of predicted future data which can be set for intervalsbetween 5 minutes and 1 hour.

Ports: This is where this program is of value to pilots and includesstandard and secondary ports along with data reference locationssuch as buoys and structures. Double clicking on one of these“ports” brings up a wealth of data but of particular interest topilots are the tidal curve graph and vessel UKC features. The“graph” tab brings up tidal curves for an adjustable period aroundthe date / time selected and a cursor can be run along the curve toeither provide the time a certain level will be available / lost or thelevel predicted at a certain time.

The “local” tab permits the user to enter data critical data forthat port such as a ruling depth and bridge height. Once this datahas been set the “clearance” tab enables the user to enter a vessel’sdraught, under keel clearance and air draught and once these havebeen entered the graph function will produce a line across thegraph showing the “minimum safe height” for navigating thatvessel. It is then a simple matter to locate the cursor over theintersection of this line on the graph to obtain the tide availableand lost times.

TOTALTIDE ReviewWith the requirement for a pilot to produce a passage plan now more or less mandatoryanything that can make the task easier is to be welcomed. For example in London wehave four main approach channels and the majority of ships are restricted by their draftat some stage of their passage so a computer tidal program to save thumbing throughprinted hourly predictions and interpolating times and levels has obvious appeal! Somedistricts have set up specialist passage planning programs to run on a laptop or handheldunit (I’m hoping to review a couple of these in the future) but these “custom” unitsrepresent a major investment since they have to be specifically tailored to the pilotagedistrict.

Having seen TotalTide program running on several ships I have obtained a reviewcopy from the UKHO in order to establish whether or not it could be a useful, passageplanning tool for pilots. The immediate answer is that in its present format withcomprehensive tidal heights and streams it has potential but in my opinion is somewhatfrustrating in that although all the information necessary to create a pilotage passageplan seems to be contained within the program it cannot easily be used for that purpose.

The Pilot 9 July 2004

Sounds good! - Where’s the problem?The “clearance” function is good as far as it goes but what I foundfrustrating is that there is a vast amount of information containedwithin this program and although I have no technical knowledgeof how the program works I feel sure that with a fairly simpleprogram upgrade the data could be used to provide acomprehensive passage planning programme, not just for pilotsbut for all users. How? My suggestions would be as follows:

Tidal target points: There is a facility for users to create a“custom” port in any location but this requires input of harmonicconstants and such data is not readily available to the average user.Critical depth points often lie between two tidal data points on thechart and mariners currently interpolate between these points. Thepredictions in this program will be based on the co-tidal curves foran area and so surely it should be possible for a user to enter theLatitude and Longitude of a “target” spot and have the programundertake the interpolation between the nearest data referencepoints in the same manner as we do manually and the UKHO haveconfirmed that they are looking at this facility. If such a facilitywere added a simple table facility could possibly be added whichwould enable a user to enter several such target points along withthe ETA at each one to provide UKC data for a passage. Thereshould also be a facility to save plans with an edit facility shouldthe critical depths change.

Tidal surge compensation: The program provides standardpredictions but for planning it should be possible to manuallyenter anticipated tidal variations and thus amend the standardpredictions prior to a passage being undertaken.

Clearances: The current clearances facility permits a vessel’s draftand UKC paramenters to be entered. Once this is done the datapage displays the UKC for the time when the data is entered. Thisis pretty useless. Why not display the available and lost times onthis page which would remove the necessity to switch to the graphpage to read them off by means of the cursor?

ConclusionsI am not a computer expert so am not sure how complex suchadditions to the program would be. However, many dedicatedpassage planning programs use the data provided by the UKHOfor tidal calculations so it would seem logical to me that theUKHO should be able to utilise their own data in such a manner!I therefore get the impression that this program hascomprehensively and successfully converted the data from theirprinted tide tables into a computer program but in limiting itselfto that function it has, in my opinion, missed an opportunity toproduce a really useful tool to bridge the gap between basic tidaldata and a full electronic chart with tidal planning facilities.However, upon raising this point with the UKHO they haveconfirmed that they are currently working on a program that canbe integrated into other navigational programs so watch thisspace! My verdict 7/10 (with great potential).

JCB

TotalTide. Each area (e.g. NW Europe) costs £70. Annual updatescost £56. Available from chart agents and cannot be purchaseddirectly from the UKHO. (Pilots purchasing this program may beable to offset the cost against tax.)

Weblink: http://www.ukho.gov.uk/total_tide.html

Why RISAP?The WEB-RISAP system can be an important tool forconsolidating the role of the European maritime pilots in theprevention of the accidents of navigation and for cooperating withthe European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA)

Who can access RISAP?At present the database is confidential and can only be accessed byEuropean maritime pilots. There are 3 levels of confidentiality foraccess to the database, each level being protected by a differentlog-in and password.

The first level is accessible by all maritime pilots belonging toEMPA. This level allows the user to view information about eachship in the database and their defects. The log-in details can beobtained from the EMPA website private area.

The second level is accessible by a designated person in each PilotStation. It allows him or her to create, modify or remove ships onbehalf of the station. The password is allocated by the nationalRISAP officer.

The third level is accessible by the national RISAP officer. Thisperson holds the national access rights. These rights allow thenational Risap officer to allocate and modify the second levellogins and passwords and to communicate this information to thedesignate person in the Pilot Station concerned.

How does RISAP workEvery country manages its own database.

The national RISAP officer is responsible for ensuring thatthe list of Pilot Stations for his own country is complete. Heallocates a login and a password to each Pilot Station, andcommunicates this information to the designated person in eachPilot Station.

The designated person (or his delegate) can then record anydefects in the ships piloted by the pilots of his station in thedatabase.

How much does RISAP cost?Nothing. The database has already been developed by FFPM. For more information contact: joe.wilson@ntlworld.com

REPORT INFORMATION SYSTEM AMONG PILOTS (RISAP)EMPA, following an initiative largely introduced by the French pilots has set up an inter-pilot reporting system whereby defects,

not necessarily of sufficient importance to alert Port State Control, but which may affect the safety of a vessel in pilotage waters canbe promulgated to other districts. Such reports could for example include an incident of a black-out, engine failure or even a high

gyro error. Such incidents may be a “one off” but an awareness that a problem has occurred on a vessel may just result in asubsequent pilot being that little bit more vigilant and could thus serve to prevent a more serious incident. There are currently only afew UK pilot stations signed up to the RISAP initiative and so if your port is not amongst those you should elect a designated pilot to

represent your port and thus ensure the effectiveness of RISAP which is already creating a growing valuable database.The whole success of this initiative is dependent upon participation so to help you to understand the scheme I have

selected the following FAQs from the EMPA website. (www.empa-pilots.org)

July 2004 10 The Pilot

On 19th April the lastcommissioned British AirwaysConcorde made its final journeyto the Museum of Flight in EastFortune, East Lothian,Scotland. Due to the fact thatthere was no runway near to themuseum capable of acceptingConcorde the decision wasmade to take the aircraft bybarge from Isleworth nearHeathrow to Scotland undertow. The barge chosen for thevoyage was the recentlylaunched Terra Marique ownedby R Wynn which has beenlargely funded by the government to assistthe transport of abnormal loads by water,and to reduce congestion on the roads. TheConcorde was to be its first major test andwith the world’s media watching it wasessential that everything went smoothly.Three London pilots, John Reid, JohnFreestone and Peter Widd are authorisedLondon “bridge” pilots and although theywere all involved in the planning JohnReid, being on duty at the time of the trialsbecame the lead pilot and therefore verymuch the hidden hero behind the successof the operation. Isleworth is right at theuppermost reaches of the tidal Thames andbeing beyond the limit of the Londonpilotage district also required the use of aLondon Waterman for the upper twomiles. Navigation this far up the Thameshas two major problems for pilots tocontend with, namely the lack of waterand low bridges. There were several criticalbridges on the passage where the bargewould be experiencing a minimum underkeel and air draft clearance and thisinvolved careful tidal and air draftcalculations and required the up riverpassage to be staged over three tides. Earlytrials with the Terra Marique revealed that

although the fitted with four thrustersthese were ineffective in the strong tidalflow of the river and it was thereforedecided to use two small river tugs:Bennett’s Steven B and the Port of LondonAuthority’s Impulse. Further trials alsorevealed control problems when navigatingwith the tide so the decision was taken toundertake all under bridge towage againstthe flood tide for maximum control. TheSteven B is a pusher tug and because thebarge had a stern door it was necessary tolash it up to the bow and to push the bargestern first. In the month leading up to thepassage John Reid worked closely with RWynn, Bennett’s, Chris Livett (Waterman)and the PLA and it is to the credit to allinvolved that the passage was finallyexecuted without a hitch although notwithout a few raised heartbeats resultingfrom a 45 minute delay in departure whichmade the Albert Bridge transit extremelycritical. Many observers and the mediawere disappointed that once loaded ontothe barge Concorde was actually placed ona hydraulic platform which lowered theaircraft out of sight (her lowest everaltitude?) of the many spectators lining thebanks of the Thames. However, in the

interests of permitting ourpoliticians to have an excuse tovisit the bar on the terrace thepilots had to plan for a one hourpause in the passage off theHouses of Parliament in orderthat Concorde could be raisedup for a short period by way ofa farewell salute. With no presspermitted on either the barge orthe tug, John Reid took conductof the pilotage and JohnFreestone and Peter Widdprovided essential back up byassisting in ensuring the criticalalignment of the barge for

passing under the bridges. In common withmost pilots they all understate theiressential role but John Freestone didmanage to find time to take some excellentand unique photographs during thepassage. Once clear of the upper river thetow was berthed at the Littlebrook PowerStation jetty just under the DartfordBridge and handed over to the deep sea tugArgus on the 14th April with pilot CerwynPhillips who piloted the vessel to the outerport limits. Following a safe sea passage,Concorde was reassembled and rolled outfor permanent display at the NationalMuseum of Flight on 19th April.

Link: (www.nms.ac.uk/ concorde/)

Although, as usual, the role of pilots wasignored by the media, the reputation of theport rested totally upon pilotage skills andthis passage has proven to be a verypositive PR exercise not just for the PLAbut also for the concept of using UK’swaterways rather than roads. The UKMPAare already members of the new Sea andWater group (www.seaandwater.org)which is driving forward this Europeaninitiative in the UK.

JCB

LONDON PILOTS PILOT CONCORDE! World exclusive photo scoop for the PILOT magazine

Minimum under keel and air draft clearances!

Concorde pilots: Peter Widd, John Freestone and John Reid

Political posturing Photos: John Freestone

The Pilot 11 July 2004

On the outbreak of war it was ordered thatall leave for pilots was cancelled and nopilot would be granted leave of absence tojoin the fighting services. Pilotage inLiverpool was declared a reservedoccupation by order of the War Cabinet,however, there was an instance of anapprentice-pilot who joined the Royal AirForce, was commissioned with “wings”and served as an instructor in flight-navigation.

The Pilot-boat on the Western Station atPoint Lynas was ordered to proceed to aposition near the North West Light-Floatand to keep her station there, about sevenmiles to the west of the Bar Lightship. Inthat position she continued to serve shipsapproaching Liverpool from the south andaround the Welsh coast, while the Bar Pilot-boat maintained her usual station near tothe entrance to Queens Channel, the mainchannel which leads into the Mersey.

Navigation in the Mersey was suspendedduring the hours of darkness due to therestrictions which were placed on lightinguntil well after the severe blitz of May1940.

An Examination Service was set-up onthe Bar pilot-boat, comprising Royal Navalcommissioned ranks, NCOs and otherranks. Accommodation was cramped andthere were instances of Royal Naval officerstaking exception to being obliged to liveand eat with other ranks. After the fall ofFrance, the Royal Navy managed toproduce a pilot-boat from Holland for theExamination Service. This made life mucheasier for the pilots and crew of the Barpilot-boat.

At the outbreak of war there were 145licensed pilots. This number wasconsidered to be insufficient to meet theunforeseeable problems which were knownwould lie ahead. Twenty men wererecruited from outside the Liverpool PilotService. They had either served as pilots inother ports, including London, South-ampton, and Preston, or else were Mastersor Mates who had held Pilotage ExemptionCertificates for the Mersey. The PilotageAuthority also invited Second ClassLiverpool Pilots (then limited to 2,000 tonsnet) to apply to be examined for a 4,000ton-limit licence, to be held untilcompletion of the normal qualifying periodfor a First-Class licence, which was then anunrestricted licence.

It was ordered by the Marine Surveyorand Water Bailiff for the Mersey Docks andHarbour Board that the Mersey should bepartitioned into anchorages which wereeffectively designated as specific parking

lots. Circles were printed in red ink on thechart from the Rock Lighthouse as farsouth as water would permit any anchorageat low water. Each parking lot wasnumbered and was useful for tugs andriver-launches in ascertaining whereparticular ships were anchored.

A principle difficulty was in the matter ofcommunication. In most circumstances theonly possible means was by morse lamp orby hailing through a megaphone. In manycases, ships were routed to Liverpool fororders but had not been given specificdocking instructions. Very often this wouldlead to a ship missing the tide which shecould otherwise have made if only thenecessary arrangements had been knownand, in consequence, space would be takenup in the anchorages.

When a convoy was preparing to sail itwas usual for some of the ships to undockand anchor in the river and then wait forthe rest of the fleet to join them byundocking on the following tide, as theremight well have been too many ships toundock all at once on the same tide. Thiswould add to the congestion in theanchorages and, if a convoy was due in onthe next day and perhaps did not catch thetide, there would be further addition to thecongestion.

When the air-raids became heavier andmore frequent after the fall of France, theenemy began to drop magnetic mines whichlay on the sea-bed and could not be seenfrom the surface by ships navigating theriver and channels. To combat this, a fleet

of HM minesweepers were detailed to befirst to sail from the Mersey to sweep theMain Channels and Western Approaches.On one occasion the Pilot-boat was orderedto proceed to sea before the minesweepers,which gave rise to much concern aboardthe cutter. The order was questioned andrectified.

As far as I can recall, three ships weremined and sunk in the river, with one in theMain Channel and one just outside it.

The property on both sides of the rivertook a very heavy pounding, but the Portitself was never closed due to enemyaction. The Princes Landing Stage and theFerry Stages remained usable. The lock-gates and river entrances were never putout of action, with the exception ofHornby-lock, the use of which could beavoided by alternative routes within thedock system.

As to the Royal Navy, there was nochange in the law which provides that HMships are exempt from compulsorypilotage; and no change in the custom andpractice of the Royal Navy to engage theservice of Liverpool pilots in mostcircumstances. Relations between theRoyal Navy and the Pilot Service wereconducted properly and professionally byall concerned and it is probably fair to saythat mutual respect and regard between thetwo organisations was probably neverhigher than at that time. Duty was thewatchword: and every man knew thatEngland expected nothing less.

R. F. Youde

Pilotage in Liverpool during the Second World WarA summary by R.F. Youde Licensed Liverpool pilot 1936 -1975

A wartime convoy assembles

Gerard Witheridge Couch1927-2004

Gerard Witheridge Couch, possibly betterknown to this world, quite simply as“Sam”, was born, 1.08.27. He passedaway in peace, after a long illness, bravelycountered, on the 2.04.04, at the age ofseventy-eight. Born and christened GerardWitheridge, he first met his father, thenchief officer with Cunard White Star, whoreturning from sea, upon sighting the babeand hearing the name he bore, quite simplystated, “To Hell with that, it’s Sam!” AndSam it was for all of us, save for his wife,Audrey, for whom he was always fondly,Gerard.

Three factors were always paramount toSam during his lifetime, his dear wife andpartner, Audrey, friends and colleagues, theLiverpool Pilot Service and the sea.

It is no exaggeration to say that the seawas in Sam’s blood. On the paternal side ofthe family, he came from a long line ofseafarers. Sam’s great-grandfather, forexample was Master with Booth Line,sailing out of Liverpool, although thefamily name is of Devonian origin. Samwas educated at Wallasey GrammarSchool, but we are told that he had littleinterest in Latin and other academicpursuits, preferring those of a nauticalpersuasion, such as sailing in boats andtying knots. He looked for any excuse tomiss lessons and school. One of these, is infact nothing short of heroic, for, as awartime teenager, he signed on with theFire Brigade. When the air-raid sirenssounded, heralding the arrival of theLuftwaffe’s bombers, instead of dashingoff to the shelters with his fellow pupils,Sam would don a helmet and dash off onhis bicycle to the fire station to carrydespatches between units fighting the firesduring the bombing.

Sam’s personal burning desire, however,was to go to sea. This was realised when,at the age of sixteen he was accepted as aBoathand into the Liverpool Pilot Serviceand placed with Booth Line as cadet officerand he sailed for South America on theBenedict. Following his deep-sea time hewas called into the Service and, aseverywhere Sam went, he became animmediately acceptable companion,extremely popular, with whom it wasalways a pleasure and fun to be with. Thisperiod in Sam’s life was one of thehappiest, and lead to him becoming a fully-fledged pilot, a profession, which, was asource of enormous pleasure for himthroughout his career. Sam enjoyed allaspects of being a pilot, the ‘ship-handling’, the travel and that special brandof camaraderie exclusive to the service heloved. He piloted his full quota of shipsand became appropriated to British Steel,which appropriation included the longhours of the levelling tide and the haul upto Bidston Dock with the deep-drafted ore-carriers.

Sam retired from the pilot service heloved, along with so many others in 1988,but remained in touch with his friends andcolleagues. Sam’s ashes were scattered by acolleague, with due reverence, from thedecks of the large Chinese bulk-carrierYang Hai, outward bound from Liverpoolto Port Kelang. We may now considerSam, (as he would have wanted) to beinexorably mixed with the winds, the skyand the sea.

John CurryLiverpool Pilot, May2004

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Leslie FinchBorn in 1923, Leslie’s seamanship beganearly. His Father, Commander EA FinchRD, RNR knew his son would follow inhis footsteps, when at eight years old he,with his younger girl cousin, was foundrowing across the Solent heading forPortsmouth.

After attending school at St Dunstan’sCollege, he was apprenticed to AndrewWeir Co., Bank Line in 1939, later servingas 2nd Mate. He survived the war safely,crossing the Equator the day war brokeout and was on the last ship to leaveSingapore before the Japanese took over.He continued his training at Sir John Cass,School of Navigation and achieved hisMaster’s Certificate.

After the war he married Constance,whom he first met in the Christian ScienceSunday School at Blackheath. They

shared a wonderfully happy and lovingpartnership for nearly 58 years, workingand laughing together through hazardousand still waters.

In 1948 Leslie joined the Orient SteamNavigation Co Ltd on the Orcades. Hiscareer with the line was a happy andsuccessful one, including serving on themaiden voyage of the Oronsay in 1952. Hefinally left the Company as Chief Officer in1957, to be able to spend more time withhis twin son and daughter then aged five.

Leslie’s love for the challenges of the seacontinued as he was licensed by TrinityHouse as a Pilot for the London Sea Pilot,West District. He greatly enjoyed thevariety of jobs and comradeship of fellowpilots until his retirement in 1988.

Leslie was always busy. He was anHonourable member of the Guild ofMaster Mariners and Freeman of the Cityof London for over thirty years andworked tirelessly for his church and anumber of charities. The annual gardenparties at the family home, “Leylands” inKent raised substantial sums for the RNLIand were supported by old colleagues andnew friends.

In recent years Leslie and Constancemoved close to the river at Greenwich, andenjoyed their grandchildren growing up.Leslie took particular pleasure in seeing hisgrand-daughter Elisabeth, aged 11, dancewith the Royal Ballet at Covent Gardenand loved nothing more than spendingtime with his grandson Ben in GreenwichPark, where he had played as a childhimself.

Death did not disturb Leslie. He passedwithout warning and most peacefully at hishome in Greenwich in February 2004 andwas cremated at Falconwood at a simplefamily service. His pilot’s cap and ananchor of red, white and blue flowersadorned the coffin; whilst those wishinghim “Bon Voyage” were left with a senseof deep gratitude for the life of a mostloving, energetic and gentle man.

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Captain Peter HolbrookPeter was Born on 2nd December 1926 atthe family home in Colombo, Ceylon.

In the 1930’s the family returned to UKand Peter won a Scholarship to BedfordModern School and obtained the SchoolLeaving certificate 1942.

Lying about his age (he was too young)he joined the Home Guard where he wasmainly engaged in erecting telegraph polesand on 4th May 1943 he signed indentureas Corporation of Trinity House Lights

July 2004 12 The Pilot

OBITUARIES

The Pilot 13 July 2004

Division as apprentice. The four yearindenture was for the apprentice “to servehis masters and not frequent Taverns, orAle Houses, unless on the duties of hismasters. Not play dice or cards or anyother unlawful game, and shall not beguilty of profane swearing ordrunkenness”. There was also compulsoryattendance at church when the ship was inport, having to confirm the text of thesermon to the captain on their return. Peterbeing fed up with being questioned somany times replied once that it was from StPaul’s Testament and when asked about itPeter replied “All ye of little faith why doyou doubt”. The Captain never askedagain for conformation.

Peter was one of the last Trinity Houseapprentices (The Trinity House apprentice-ship was formulated by a scheme toimprove the skills of seafarers by SamuelPepys who was secretary of Trinity Houseat the time) with the Trinity House Lightsdepartment on board many differentTrinity House vessels. In 1944 the vesselMV Alert was used to mark the channelfor the D-Day landings through theminefields off Omaha Beach after aminesweeper had cleared the mines.During this particular exercise theminesweeper and the Alert were shelled byGerman guns. Since the national serviceage was 18 years this would have madePeter one of the youngest officialparticipants in the war at 171/2.

As the invasion and war developed hewas seconded to a Royal Navy Destroyerin the North Sea as a Liaison Officer (stillunder 18 yrs of age) following which hewas decorated with the War Medal,Victory Medal, and the Atlantic Star

This wartime service was rewarded witha war risk bonus of £10.00 per month,however those under 18 years were onlyawarded £5.00 per month. This lowincome was supplemented by Peter singingin the Bars of East London Pubs!

Leaving Trinity House after completinghis apprenticeship he sailed as 3rd, 2nd,and 1st Officer in a variety of foreign going

cargo liner, bulk cargo, and tanker typesincluding: Alddington Court (1947-9) 3rdOfficer and Esso Tioga (1949) 2nd Officer.

Whilst serving on board the MVRampart in 1953 Peter was 2nd Officer(Mate) when the vessel made the firstdirect service from Great Britain toAsuncion in Paraguay, a river journey ofapprox 900 miles from the River PlateDelta and during this voyage he waspromoted to 1st Mate

Peter obtained his Master’s Certificate10th January 1955, following which hewas appointed Master of the MV ChevyChase (a general cargo ship sailing betweenthe Mediterranean and the UK) which wasbeing built in Emden in Germany.Following delivery in 1956 Peter sailed onboard as Master until becoming authorisedas a Trinity House North Channel Pilot on10th December 1957 where he served untilretirement until 30th September 1988.This period of service saw five yearsinvolvement in the administration ofpilotage in the London District and he alsoserved as an independent boroughcouncillor for Harwich for ten years two ofwhich were served as Mayor. During thisMayoral term, Peter piloted the KonniganJuliana on her maiden voyage to ParkestonQuay wearing both the chain of office andhis Trinity House uniform! This periodalso saw Peter serve eight years as amember of the Harwich ConservancyBoard during the time of intensedevelopment of the Orwell and Harwichhaven ports and ten years service as Justiceof Peace, Harwich Bench. In addition to allthis additional service Peter also undertooksome short tours of duty as a relief pilot inJeddah and Gizan and, following hisretirement as a Trinity House pilot, Peterreturned to Jeddah and again served aspilot/relief pilot at Jeddah until 1990.

Peter also held positions within theRugby Club, Cricket Club, and theHoming Society and also played Golf upuntil about 10 years ago and being a goodafter dinner speaker meant that many clubswanted him in honorary roles.

Whilst an apprentice at Trinity House

Peter met Betty Gardner and they weremarried at St Nicholas Church on 26thSeptember 1953. Peter leaves behind Betty,their daughter Sally, son Mark and fourgrandchildren.

Peter will always be remembered byfamily, friends, and acquaintances for hisquantity of quality conversation, songs,verse, and jokes, particularly Kipling versessuch as ‘Gunga Din’ and ‘If’.

Mark Holbrook

Pensioners Deceased–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––November 2003 - January 2004–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––MJ Bell London NorthWH Benjamin FoweyWL Bevan SwanseaJS Burgess London WestW Craig LowestoftPB Johnson TeesE Jones ManchesterH Renshaw Humber–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––February 2004 - April 2004–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––B Austin Kings LynnW Batchelor HarwichRJ Clark IpswichGW Crouch LiverpoolLA Finch HarwichP Holbrook HarwichDO Jones HarwichH Patience InvernessTY Purvis TyneFA Tapping London-WestHF Thomas London-WestP Tippet GloucesterRJ Williams HarwichGW Wotton Southampton

MV Chevychase on trials 1956