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Reviews
RADAR and AIS : Integrated Bridge systems Vol. 1 By Dr Andy Norris
So far as I am aware this is the first book on radar specifically written for mariners since the old Radar Observer’s Handbook, the last edition of which was produced in 1998. Read the rest of this entry »
From Paper Charts to ECDIS By Captain Harry Gale FNI
This is another timely publication published by the Nautical Institute, which provides valuable information, and advice to mariners as the traditional paper chart is replaced by ECDIS during the next few years. Read the rest of this entry »
Square Rigger Days: Charles Domville-Fife
This book, subtitled “Autobiographies of Sail” was originally compiled in 1938 by Charles Domville-Fife to record the final days of commercial sail but unlike the wonderful books produced by Basil Lubbock which recorded in detail the ships and their trades, this book is the stories of those who actually sailed on them. Read the rest of this entry »
PILOT GIGS OF CORNWALL AND THE SCILLY ISLES
THE PILOT GIGS OF CORNWALL AND THE SCILLY ISLES
The pilot gigs of the Isles of Scilly and Cornwall are totally unique six oared open boats which were used to ship pilots onto ships arriving of the South West approaches to the United Kingdom. This feature actually started as a review of a fascinating book that I found in the bookshelf of a holiday let in Cornwall. Titled : “Azook: The Story of the Pilot Gigs of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly 1666 – 1994”. Read the rest of this entry »
Sea of Glory
SEA OF GLORY: Nathaniel Philbrick
The book is a detailed account of the US Exploring Expedition undertaken between 1838-1842. The primary role of this expedition was to survey the Pacific from Antarctica to the NW coast of the USA in order to provide more accurate charts for the US whaling fleets.
The secondary role was as a scientific voyage of discovery. Politically this voyage was not high on the priorities of the US government and consequently it was led by a relatively junior Lieutenant Charles Wilkes. Although totally dedicated to the expedition, Wilkes was a controversial choice and a total egoist who rapidly fell out with most of the other officers.
However, of particular interest to pilots is that of the six ships chosen for the expedition two were New York pilot schooners. The Sea Gull was the ex-New Jersey and the Flying Fish was the ex Independence. Both around 100 tons dwt, and 75ft long these craft were specifically chosen for their manoeuvrability which made them ideal for survey work close inshore.
The Sea Gull was lost with all hands early in 1839 in an unknown location off Chile following the first expedition to the Antarctic as the flotilla sailed north to Valparaiso. The Flying Fish however survived to complete the expedition. Despite being totally unsuitable for navigating in ice, damaged and leaking, Flying Fish actually achieved the distinction of sailing the furthest south during the first voyage to the Antarctic reaching within one degree of the latitude reached by Captain Cook. The account of this is worth the price of the book alone!
Also of note to pilots is that Wilke’s ship Vincennes and thus the expedition were saved by the skill of the British pilot, Edmund Fauxall departing Pago-Pago in October 1840.
Nathaniel Philbrick brings to life the characters and events and for those of you unfamiliar with this author I can also recommend “In the Heart of the Sea”, the story of the whaleship Essex. JCB
Sea of Glory. ISBN 0-00-712116-4.
Harper Collins Paperback (RRP £8.99) or hardback (RRP £20)
Bow Towage Operations with Twin ASD Tugs
BOW TUG OPERATIONS WITH
Henk Hensen
Azimuth Stern Drive (ASD) tugs are now an increasingly popular choice by tug operators in the major ports, mainly due to increased efficiency and lower maintenance costs when compared to the Voith Schneider “Tractor” tugs. Whereas the tug masters are (or should be!) given specific training prior to taking command of such tugs, pilots do not normally receive any formal training in working with them and this ignorance could lead to a serious incident. This monograph published by the Nautical Institute is therefore essential reading for any pilot in ports utilizing ASD tugs.
Although the best utilization of ASD tugs is in the push-pull mode, the design of many large container ships or car carriers leaves very little parallel body forward of amidships thus limiting the position options for a bow tug in the push-pull mode. This factor has resulted in ASD tugs operating on a centre lead forward in either the bow to bow or stern to bow modes. Whilst some ASD tugs are fitted with hooks / winches for towing over the stern, this is not generally the most efficient towage point and although this book doesn’t set out to recommend either practice I was quite surprised to discover that in many circumstances bow to bow operation is safer than stern to bow for this class of tug. Since most ASD tugs are designed with the towing winch on the bow it is this utilization which is mainly addressed in this informative booklet. The first key factor in the success of bow to bow towage is the training and experience of the tug master and Henk quotes one such master as estimating three years to become fully proficient in the procedure. Being a ship handling situation of course means that all is not a simple as the aforementioned indicates since there are different designs and controls of ASD tugs which means that even a very experienced tug master may not be able to transfer to another ASD tug and immediately be proficient in handling it! The control of the thrusters can vary from a single joystick two separate thruster controls and such design elements as skeg length have a major impact on handling such tugs stern first.
The second key factor is where the pilot comes in and that is the vessels speed which will generally need to be much slower than with conventional or tractor tugs. Henk explains in detail the hydronamic forces acting on the tug and the effects of interaction between the tug and ship whilst the approach is made to connect up the tow. The analysis indicates that an optimum speed is around 5 knots with 7 knots being considered an absolute maximum. This may result in the pilot having to amend the location where he normally connects up the tugs. Going too slowly can also be problematic as Henk states “Most stern drive azimuth tugs have powerful engines and at a relatively low speed thruster steering actions result in a rather nervous tug stern”. Wind and sea conditions will also affect the manoeuvre and various recommended approach techniques are explained with relation to the vessel type and wind conditions. As the tug approaches the connection position it is at its most vulnerable and a loss of control can result in the tug being swept bodily to one side and down along the ship’s side which is termed “tripping”. Since all this will be going on mainly outside of the pilot’s field of view and with generally unreliable communication with the ship’s fo’c’sle coupled with the tug master concentrating on handling his tug it is essential that the pilot should have a good mental picture of what is involved in the operation and reading this monograph will provide this essential information. It must always be borne in mind that most fixed propeller container ships will have a dead-slow ahead speed in excess of the optimum bow-bow connection speed so a pilot should ensure that he can bring the vessel to the correct speed when the bow tug approaches because if the tug master has any doubts about the safety of the operation then he will not come in to connect up the tow. The book therefore highlights the need for good co-operation and communications between the tug and pilot.
The book concludes with a brief mention two cases where bow-bow towage has resulted in an incident. In both cases (MV River Yarra & Tug WJ Trotter and the Stolt Aspiration & Thorngarth) the reports highlight the lack of pilot training in the capabilities of ASD tugs. Henk admits that simulators are currently incapable of reproducing the hydrodynamic effects on bow to bow operations so pilots should ensure that their HA arranges for them to receive appropriate training perhaps by accompanying an experienced tug master to observe a few manoeuvres.
In conclusion this monograph is essential reading for all pilots working with ASD tugs and at 23 pages long it is concise with clear explanations and diagrams.
The Monograph is available from the Nautical Institute. Cost: £10.50 members, £15 non-members. P&P UK £2.00 Order on-line from:
www.nautinst.org/pubs/search.cfm
By ’phone: 0207 928 1351
By Post: The publications Officer
The nautical institute
202 Lambeth Road
The Great Port of Bristol
The Great Port of Bristol
Once again Snowbow have managed to compile a high quality collection of film footage recalling the golden age of British shipping. In this episode the focus is on the
Episode 25 of the “Great Liners” series The Great Port of Bristol
is available in video or DVD formats from the Snowbow website: www.snowbow.co.uk or:
145 The promenade, Peacehaven,
The cost of the video is £16.95 (DVD £17.95) plus 1.00 P&P
MARITIME MEMORIES CRUISES
These cruises are becoming increasingly popular due to their being organised by seafarers for seafarers. Full details can be obtained from the website:
www.maritime-memories.com or e-mail: snowbow.productions@virgin.net
Tel: 00 44 (0)1273 585391
JCB
Four times a Scapegoat
FOUR TIMES A SCAPEGOAT
BY CAPTAIN DOUGLAS HARVEY
This book has been quite difficult to review. The problem is that Captain Harvey is a perfectionist in an imperfect world and by his own admission doesn’t suffer fools gladly. Unfortunately as a captain of gas tankers Captain Harvey comes across not just fools but an endless stream of brigands, crooks and smugglers. When he joins a ship he uncovers incompetence and neglect by those he relieves and spend his entire voyages bringing the ships back up to scratch. I have no knowledge of the carriage of gas but Captain
In 1990 our hero is called in to commence training but it does not begin well, with the opening line on this chapter stating “Since the introduction of the 1987 pilotage Act the standard of pilotage in the
The rest of the book sees Captain Harvey back at sea doing ship deliveries with rubbish officers and crews and then becoming chief mate again on gas ships with Bergeson’s. This section could form the basis of a gas carriage manual since to quote again “I can
squeeze in more cargo than anyone, only because I know the gas trade better than anyone, and have so many tricks up my sleeve that I now have a third arm”. Detailed explanations as to how this is done and how everyone else is polluting the atmosphere by venting gas is provided. The book concludes with Captain Harvey sorting out another gas ship under the Bibby Harrison Management Services which is in a state of dilapidation. Again we are subjected to a detailed account of rubbish crews, incompetence fraud theft etc. and Captain Harvey leaves the ship claiming that he was only appointed in order to become a scapegoat.
Captain Harvey claims to have written this book as means of exposing the corrupt underbelly of the world of merchant shipping, in particular in the gas trade. I am not in a position to make a judgement on the accuracy of the very serious allegations made against named companies, ships and easily identifiable individuals but I believe that there is an exaggeration of the facts since ships successfully carry 95% of the world’s trade without Captain Harvey on board. In the section on pilotage I do feel qualified to express an opinion. Much of the criticism is unjustifiable since Forth Ports is a thriving port operator and although largely unacknowledged, high quality pilotage plays a vital role in any port’s success. Contrary to the impression given in this book the
As a general summary of the book I found that the narrative was difficult to follow in places and the proof reading has been a bit sloppy. In particular, throughout most of the book the term “of course” appears as “off course” and to me that just about sums the book up.
JCB
Published by Melrose
ISBN 1-905226-15-2. Price £19.99
THE CAIRN LINE OF STEAMSHIPS CO. LTD. 1876 – 2005
THE CAIRN LINE OF STEAMSHIPS CO. LTD. 1876 – 2005
Gilbert T. Wallace
This book provides a finely detailed history and account of the Cairn Line and represents a remarkable feat for the author who has self published the work. Although Gilbert Wallace only sailed with the Cairn Line for four years in the 1950’s prior to taking up employment ashore, upon retirement he decided to find out what had happened to his old company and the result is a fascinating and detailed record of a line from the golden era of British Shipping which has now, along with nearly all the others, sadly disappeared. Anyone who has attempted any research will appreciate the amount of time and care for presentation that has resulted in this book. In addition to listing all the vessels associated with the Line the book is lavishly illustrated with photographs, line drawings and paintings. The first ship of the Cairn Line of Steamships to carry the Cairn name was the Cairngowan in 1883 and although the company was purchased by the Furness Withy Group in 1967 the name survived and last three ships bearing the Cairn name (Cairnash, Cairnelm and Cairnoak) were sold in the centenary year of 1983. The ship listings in this book are expanded by a comprehensive history which provides detailed descriptions of the ships, routes and cargoes as well as a wealth of interesting supplementary information regarding this Company which was finally placed into Members Voluntary Liquidation on 15th March 2005. A4 soft cover format, 96 pages with 82 b/w photographs, 11 colour photographs and images. ISBN: 0-9550078-0-1.
Price: £15.00 (Postage: £2.00 UK, £3.00 EU, £3.30 Worldwide).
Payment in sterling by
Gilbert T. Wallace,
3
Tel/Fax: 0131 669 5878
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