Many will recognise the art of Kenneth Shoesmith but very few are familiar with his name or how he became such a prolific artist whose posters tempted many to take cruises to exotic locations. These posters now serve to instill pure nostalgia for long lost unspoiled locations and the magnificent passenger liners that carried passengers there before the days of air travel. Despite his high quality maritime art output, Kenneth Shoesmith has never received the recognition that his work deserves, in fact he isn’t listed in the major reference work for 20th Century maritime artists! This oversight has now been rectified by Glyn Evans whose detailed research has not only produced a book filled with a wonderful selection of Kenneth’s work but which also provides a long overdue biography. All mariners who have seen Kenneth’s work will have admired his attention to detail and recognised that the accuracy of the ship details place him amongst the finest of maritime artists. Glyn’s research reveals that the reason for this accuracy was that Kenneth Shoesmith was a professional mariner who served as Chief Officer with the Royal Mail Line throughout WW1 prior to becoming a full time artist in the early 1920’s. From his childhood and apprenticeship as a Conway boy through to his untimely death in 1939, the book details his unique art. The majority of Kenneth’s work was commissioned by his old shipping company, the Royal Mail Line but other shipping lines and travel companies also commissioned many works and this proves that good quality poster art was considered as important for commercial success in the inter war years as TV advertising is today. But who will ever remember any of today’s advertising output? Kenneth’s greatest commission was for several very large panels for the Cunard liner Queen Mary and Glyn devotes several pages to these important works which still survive intact.  JCB

THE MARITIME ART OF KENNETH D. SHOESMITH.   94 pages   ISBN 978-1-85794-358-0  Price £30

The Nostalgia Collection: email: sales@nostalgiacollection.com  T el: 01536 330588    website: www.nostalgiacolections.com

Having been a colleague of Peter’s for many years before he retired I was slightly apprehensive when he proudly handed me a dedicated copy of Unplanned Passage to review for the magazine. What if I didn’t enjoy it?

Fortunately, I needn’t have worried because not only has Peter had a very interesting career but his writing style is relaxed and conversational so this autobiography is an enjoyable read.

Starting with his childhood in Folkestone Peter describes the experience of  growing up in the shadow of war where the regular bombing and shelling resulted in his moving around the country before returning to Kent to finish his schooling. Leaving school and joining the Merchant Navy, Peter’s early sea time was gained serving on heavy lift tramp ships on world wide trades which provided some fascinating experiences such as working with the US carrying supplies during the Korean War.

Upon obtaining his Second Mate’s Certificate, Peter joined the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) and this section again provides an interesting account of his time in that service which included living in Singapore with his wife and young family. A chance encounter resulted in Peter applying for and being accepted as a Trinity House “Cinque Ports” pilot bringing ships into the Thames from the Southern approach channels from the boarding point off Folkestone. The second half of the book details Peter’s experiences over the 32 years he served as a pilot which of course included the upheaval of the transfer from self employment under Trinity House to employed status with the Port of London Authority. A founder member, and a past President of the Nautical Institute, Peter was also Chairman of the UKPA T&T Committee for many years and he recounts how he drafted the original pilot boarding and landing code and , along with other dedicated pilots saddened by the unnecessary loss of colleagues, addressed the issue of pilot ladder safety and produced the first SeaSafe high visibility inflatable pilot jacket which makes the book a valuable reference for all serving pilots. Although much of the book is specific to the Thames, Peter’s experiences, including some honest accounts of near misses, will be familiar to all pilots and educational to non pilots and the many lively anecdotes mean that this account of a fascinating career  is never dull for non mariners either. A final bonus is that Unplanned Passage is well illustrated throughout with Peter’s own paintings. JCB

Unplanned Passage:  Price £16.99

ISBN:  798-1-78003-058-6.  Pen Press Publications: www.penpress.co.uk

As regular readers will know, I have occasionally reviewed the excellent series of DVD’s produced by Des Cox of Snowbow Productions who has collated and preserved old film footage from the British Merchant Navy. As a result of the positive response to these DVD’s, Des has also arranged several Maritime Memory Voyages which, having started as a one-off, have now become a popular annual event! The Worst Journey In the World documents a cruise of a different nature which grew out of a chance meeting with an Arctic Convoy veteran. In 2009, having located a few of the last remaining survivors of those horrendous days, Des with the co-operation of the Russian, Norwegian and Royal Navies, organised a cruise to Murmansk on board the MV Discovery which re-traced the convoy route. This documentary of the voyage which features interviews with veterans interspersed with rare footage of the convoys  is a unique and fitting tribute to those who risked their lives in order to deliver essential supplies to the beleaguered Russians. Many of the ships were old and ill equipped and in addition to experiencing some of the worst seas on the planet these convoys were subjected to almost continuous merciless attacks from sea and air. All knew that if their ship was sunk their chances of survival were negligible. Although the stuffy protocols of British medal allocation resulted in no Merchant Navy personnel ever receiving any formal recognition for their wartime service in any sphere, the Russians have never forgotten the debt owed and this is revealed by the warm and emotional reception granted to the veterans witnessed during their stay in Murmansk*. The Worst Journey in the World, which also documents some remarkable coincidences, therefore provides a valuable and lasting testament to the bravery of the Merchant Navy officers and crew and a fitting memorial for those who were tragically lost. JCB

The Worst Journey in the World  Price £17.99

Available from:

Snowbow Productions Ltd

145 The PromenadePeacehaven, East Sussex  BN10 7HN0

Tel: 1273 585391 Email: des@snowbow.co.uk Web: www.snowbow.co.uk

* The Russians first offered a medal for the Arctic convoy veterans for the 40th anniversary of the end of the war in 1985 but it was not permitted to be accepted or worn. In 1994 the Queen granted permission for this Great Patriotic War Medal more commonly known as the Russian Convoy Medal to be accepted and worn. Last year the Russians presented a further medal to surviving veterans at a special ceremony marking the 65th anniversary on board HMS Belfast which took part in the campaign. This January David Cameron agreed that these veterans should receive a British medal but since then there has been no news!! JCB

Britannia’s Realm is volume two of Richard Woodman’s five volume history of the British Merchant Navy and covers the period from 1763 – 1815. As with the first volume, Neptune’s Trident, Richard Woodman’s detailed analysis reveals how so much of our history is tied up with trade and the ships and men that carried it. The Treaty of Paris in 1763 saw Britain emerge from war in a strong position to compete with France and the other European nations in maritime trade but the costs of the war had to be met and the taxes imposed resulted on the loss of the American Colonies leading to the establishment of the USA in 1783. This colonial loss had a lesser impact than feared at the time and subsequently actually provided benefits in competition through advanced ship design but peace didn’t last and the Napoleonic years once again saw Britain at war. At a time when Britain was expanding trade with India and the Far East , much of the Royal Navy was tied up blockading the French ports and so this trade became vulnerable to attack from French corsairs such as Robert Surcouf. However, the Navy’s appalling press gangs caused almost as much damage to the Merchant Navy as the French! It is often forgotten that the Napoleonic wars continued throughout Europe for another decade after Trafalgar and the impact of this and other events on trade are examined in fascinating detail. JCB

Britannia’s Realm

ISBN 978-0-7524-4814-5

The History Press Ltd, The Mill, Brimscombe

Port, Stroud, Gloucestershire GL5 2QG.

01453 883300 www.thehistorypress.co.uk

Price £27

Following the publication last year of “From paper Charts to ECDIS” by Captain Harry Gale, the Nautical Institute have now published a full book on ECDIS as volume 2 of their Integrated Bridge Systems series. As well as being published at a timely moment with respect to my own features on ECDIS, this book has not come a moment too soon for watchkeepers because the way ships are navigated is set to change fundamentally with the compulsory carriage of ECDIS which will replace the paper chart within the next decade. Following the successful format of his Radar & AIS book ( Reviewed in the April 2009 issue) which formed volume 1 of the IBS series, Dr Norris has produced another excellent work that provides a clear and concise explanation of the operation & functions of ECDIS. The text is well illustrated with photographs and diagrams and is divided into the following ten logical chapters which deliberately avoid too much technical detail and complex formulae:

1. Positioning, Mapping & Geodesy: Outlines the principles of mapping.

2. Electronic Positioning Systems: Mainly dealing with satellite systems this chapter details how satellite navigation works and explains the various problems and errors associated with the system and how they are overcome. The author doesn’t disguise the vulnerabilities associated with satellites and emphasises the need for position verification by other methods / systems, including radar and visual observations.

3. Introduction to Electronic charts: This outlines the history of Electronic charting along with the hardware and software required.

4. Electronic Chart Data: Explains how data is collated, who is authorised to produce it and how it is decoded and displayed

5. IMO ECDIS Requirement: This chapter usefully analyses the IMO requirements and explains them in laymen’s terms.

6. Operational Principles of ECDIS: This is the most important chapter which details all the operational aspects of an ECDIS. It acknowledges the problems associated with different manufacturers’ operating systems and therefore emphasises the need for type specific training to enable all users to fully comprehend their particular system.

7. Use of ECDIS for Route Planning: Explains the basic principles that a navigator should understand when using an ECDIS for passage planning. This is obviously restricted to generic information with acknowledgement for the need for the navigator to be trained in the specific type installed on  his ship.

8. Use of ECDIS For Route Monitoring: This chapter details how the ECDIS vector information differs from that of the paper chart and explains the various display modes and operational features. This chapter again emphasises the need for the watchkeeper to be fully proficient in the system he is using since much of the detail printed on a paper chart is not displayed on the standard display and needs to be added by use of the menu or by zooming in the range, clicking on objects on the chart or selecting them from the menu system.

9. Use of ECDIS in RCDS mode: There are still areas for which no ENC is available and in this case it is permissible for the ECDIS to display an approved raster chart and this chapter explains the requirements.

10. Training & Familiarisation: Obvious to all except many ship owners / operators!! Usefully, this section provides a checklist of over 70 cross referenced items considered essential for the safe planning and execution of a passage.

Three Appendices cover :

abbreviations and acronyms ( many!)

IMO back up requirements and

Differences between ECDIS & RCDS.

In summary, this book details how ECDIS works and most importantly explains how, if safety of navigation is to be ensured, navigating by means of  ECDIS requires a totally different methodology to traditional chartwork. My own research into ECDIS has revealed an alarming absence of any detailed explanation of a revolution in navigation that, within a decade,  is set to replace practices and skills that have evolved  over several millennia and so Andy Norris’ excellent book fills a gaping crater by providing the generic detail required to understand ECDIS principles and it is therefore an essential reference work for every navigator.

JCB

Published by: The Nautical Institute, 202 Lambeth Road London, SE1 7LQ

207 pages with over 100 full colour illustrations

Price: £40 ( discounts for members & bulk purchases)

Tel: +44 (0)20 7928 1351

web: http://login.nautinst.org/bookshop/default.aspx

As independent professionals, maritime pilots are autonomous and are normally alone with the ship’s bridge team when undertaking their vital role of conducting ships in and out of port. One consequence of such autonomy is that pilots and their work is rarely documented and so very few outside our profession understand what we do. Whilst maritime publications occasionally feature articles on pilotage any photographs are usually standard images of pilots on pilot ladders embarking or disembarking.

It was therefore with interest that I obtained a review copy of Navigators of Teisa which is a book of photographs documenting the Tees pilots at work. The photographs capture the atmosphere of everyday piloting. There are no bright, sunny office staff tripping days out here! Leaden skies and gloomy cold wet weather dominate the images and David Jones has successfully captured the tension and occasional loneliness of our career within the 50 pages. There are no captions which I personally find beneficial since the images speak for themselves. A comprehensive introduction by Teesbay Pilots’ Chairman, Brendan Richardson details the pilots role and the type of ships and their cargoes which is all that’s required. At the end of the book all 32 pilots serving in 2009 are named within their relevant watches.

Photo: David Jack Jones

Although Tees specific this book provides a unique insight into the daily work of the pilot and in addition to the pleasure gained from viewing the photographs it can also be useful to any pilot wishing to explain our role to outsiders.

JCB

Navigators of Teisa (ISBN 978 0 9563066 0 9) by

David Jones is available priced £14.99 from

www.davidjackjones.co.uk

Volume 1: “Principles & Practice” is the most relevant for to pilots and its contents comprehensively detail what it says on the tin! Of particular interest to me were the last few pages where the author, Captain Clark has written a section entitled “A personal view on problems in mooring operations”. This details experiences such as new builds and conversions and also examines the issues around mooring with respect to manning levels. This is a subject close to my heart!

When berthing large tankers fitted with heavy mooring wires it appals me to see  a crewman standing in front of the winch pulling the wire with a steel hook trying to get the correct number of turns onto the split drum! Self spooling drums for wire handling were invented over 150 years ago but according to the book are rarely used because of the high maintenance required to keep the spooling gear running freely! The shipping industry claims to be concerned at the number of injuries caused during mooring. Well whose fault is that? I have never seen a man on a heavy lift crane standing next to the wire drum with a hook but Jolly Jack Tar has always been an expendable item and is obviously cheaper to replace than maintaining a self spooling winch!!

I unmoored a new tanker. It took ages to bring the wires on board because the winches were too small for the wires and couldn’t contain the full length unless the crew carefully spooled them one at a time! So were the winches going to be replaced? No. The solution was that they were going to weld an additional 30cm onto the flanges. Welcome to safe mooring in 2010!

Finally, the latest wheeze from the armchair brigade is to have “snap back zones” painted adjacent to the winches with “no go areas”. As a Captain stated to me, if the ship’s mooring area was located in a factory ashore, the HSE wouldn’t allow anybody within 50 metres of it!

Volume 2: “Inspection and Maintenance” is very well compiled by Walter Vervloesem with hundreds of photographs and a CD detailing good and bad practice. Excellent for ship’s officers and surveyors but of lesser relevance to pilots.

Both volumes are published by the Nautical Institute and cost £75 (discount for members).

www.nautinst.og/bookshop/default.aspx

Volume 1: Nepyune’s Trident: Spices & Slaves 1500 – 1807

Those of you who are familiar with Richard Woodman’s books will be aware of his meticulous research and attention to historical detail and this professional ethos to his subject will inevitably ensure that this series of five volumes will become the definitive history of the Merchant Navy. This is not a large format “coffee table” book full of photographs, sketches and plans (there are plenty of excellent examples of this genre elsewhere) but a serious historical work detailing how the “merchants’ navy” established trading posts and routes throughout the world which laid the foundations for, and subsequently underpinned, the British Empire. However, far from being a dull list of dates and events, by drawing on contemporary records, this book provides a fascinating account of  trading voyages, wars, piracy and slavery as gripping as any work of fiction.

How was it that a small dot on the world map came to rule over one sixth of the world’s land mass? Common perception is that Britain’s Royal Navy opened up the world to establish international trade but Richard Woodman dispels that myth, revealing that in fact the opposite was true. The Empire was established by British merchants trading goods carried in merchant vessels and this important but oft neglected fact is summed up by the author in his introduction thus:

Although late  on the maritime scene – following the Portuguese, Spanish and Dutch – the British soon came to dominate the oceans of the world not simply by the naval power-projection available to them after the end of the Napoleonic War in I8IS, but by the often aggressive, sometimes amoral – and always opportunist ambitions of her merchants and their ability to facilitate trade by means of shipping. Almost nowhere in conventional mainstream history will you discover an analysis of British merchant shipping as an historical instrument of empowerment and imperial expansion, let alone of social advancement and the betterment of mankind.Yet it was unequivocally a fundamental engine of history, so-much-so that in I92I  the United States’ ambassador to the Court of St James was moved to eulogy

‘I deem it no exaggeration to say that whether in war or peace, the British Mercantile Marine has rendered more service to more men of more nations than any other human agency.

The 17th century poet Edmund Waller (1606 -1687) summed it up succinctly:

Others may use the ocean as their road

only the English make it their abode.

A fascinating read for any mariner and essential reading for any historian or politician!

JCB

History of the British Merchant Navy VOL 1; Neptunes Trident

ISBN 978-0-7524-4814-5

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. With many advances in radar and associated technologies taking place since that time, an updated book on marine radars is long overdue and Dr. Norris’ has provided a book that explains the latest developments in a clear and concise manner.  Since 1^st July 2008 it has been a requirement for all new radar installations to be capable of displaying AIS data and since formal training courses always lag well behind the introduction of new technology there is much ignorance regarding AIS and especially its integration into radar displays and without a comprehensive understanding of the technology and its limitations it is all too easy for a watch keeper to regard the information displayed as infallible. As Dr. Norris warns in his introduction “…the user who is ignorant of the possible problems that can arise will invariably become involved in an accident”.

The main part of Radar and AIS is divided into four chapters, namely:

Radar Basics

AIS Basics

The use of radar and AIS

Practical considerations of using AIS with radar

This main text is supplemented with useful annexes:

The radar equation

International function messages

AIS vessel types and cargoes

IMO display symbols

Parallel indexing

Familiarisation training framework

Together, all these sections provide the mariner with an essential understanding regarding the advantages and limitations of both technologies and identifies the very important fact that since the COLREGS currently contain no rules covering the use of AIS in anti-collision action, radar and visual observations must be the only aids used when risk of collision exists.  The book also acknowledges that many radar features have been prioritised by the whim of manufacturers rather than by user needs which has left some key functions such as parallel indexing complex and fiddly to use and regrets the fact that training for a particular system is too often achieved by dumping a fat and poorly written operating manual on board for the crew to read and digest in their spare time!! We pilots, of course, have no chance!

Overall this is a much needed reference work that should have a place on every “ready room” bookshelf.

JCB

]]> http://www.pilotmag.co.uk/2009/06/25/radar-and-ais-integrated-bridge-systems-vol-1-by-dr-andy-norris/feed/ 0 http://www.pilotmag.co.uk/2009/06/25/from-paper-charts-to-ecdis-by-captain-harry-gale-fni/ http://www.pilotmag.co.uk/2009/06/25/from-paper-charts-to-ecdis-by-captain-harry-gale-fni/#comments Thu, 25 Jun 2009 13:22:33 +0000 JCB http://www.pilotmag.co.uk/?p=1265

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.

Electronic charts have been making an appearance on bridges now for several years but considering the revolution in navigation techniques that such installations herald, the lack of understanding of the systems amongst some mariners (and dare I suggest many pilots) is quite alarming!

We have all seen the terms ECDIS, ENC, ECS, Raster and Vector, but what do they all mean and what is the difference between them? All is explained in this handy booklet.

The Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS) is basically an approved platform for displaying approved Electronic Navigation Charts (ENCs) which are produced to an internationally agreed standard capable of replacing the traditional paper chart.  These ENC’s can only be produced by, or on the authority of, an authorised Hydrographic Office. The IMO approved the mandatory carriage of ECDIS in December 2008 and set dates for the phasing in of ECDIS over a six year period between 2012 and 2018.

Up until now the carriage of Electronic Chart Systems has not been formally regulated and consequently two key problems have arisen, namely: Confusion over whether or not the system is a “approved” ECDIS and training in the use of electronic charts. These problems are considerable because a non-approved system must not be used for navigation, even though it may be integrated into the bridge console. Since use of ECDIS requires a whole new way of how a navigator uses a chart and interprets the information displayed, a lack of training in its use is a recognised danger which has already resulted in several high profile groundings!

Drawing on valuable feedback from the end user by means of the NI’s Sea Going Correspondence Group, Captain Gales’ book explains all the existing systems, details the advantages and disadvantages of using ECDIS and highlights the dangers of misinterpreting data through a lack of proper training.

From Paper Charts to ECDIS is therefore another essential book for the “Ready Room”.

Both books are available from the Nautical Institute’s publications department:

Radar & AIS  £20 (30% discount for members) ISBN 1 870077 95 4

ECDIS: £15 (30% discount for members) ISBN 987 1 870077 98 9

NI Online bookshop http://88.208.244.6/ni/bookshop/default.aspx

Phone: +44 (0) 20 7028 1351

202 Lambeth Road

LONDON SE1 7LQ

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