History

Liverpool Retirements: Letter from Barrie Youde

No 4 William M Clarke Inspection Day

S.S. William M Clarke: Cutter No4 on inspection day. c. 1937

Photo: Liverpool Pilots’ Archives

John Curry’s article on the retirement of Stuart Wood, Geoff Rafferty and John himself marks both a vintage year at Liverpool and nothing less than the end of an era in pilotage, quite possibly throughout the entire world.

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SS fort Camosun & Japanese submarine I-25

The late ex Manchester pilot, John Law whose obituary appears here was on board the SS Fort Camosun when it was torpedoed of the NW Coast USA by the Japanese submarine I-25. The following is his first hand account of the action.

“We got off in Vancouver then made the short journey across the straits to Victoria, where the SS Fort Camosun was being built. Read the rest of this entry »

Piloting ship to ship transfers 1970’s

 

 

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The Dutch tanker Nacia approaches a Bergeson VLCC / OBO. (pilot J. Morrison) These vessels were the largest two vessels to undertake the transfer operation.  Photo E. Ramsay.  The Isle of Arran is visible to starboard.

As many of you are probably aware there have been several proposals tabled during the last few years to permit ship to ship oil transfers at several locations around the UK coast especially for the export of oil cargoes from Russia where the depth of the Baltic precludes the use of large tankers. Read the rest of this entry »

The pilot cutter “Protector”


Wendy Cummin has kindly granted permission for her research into the loss of the pilot cutter “Protector” to be placed on this website. The photographs have been supplied by retired Harwich pilot, Andy Adams.

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The pilot cutter “Protector”

Although not as common as in WW2, there were many civilian deaths in WW1. Read the rest of this entry »

TO BE A PILOT: THE STORY BEHIND A PAINTING

THE CHARLOTTE KILNER

Many pilots are descended from shipping families but all too often the records are lost over even a couple of generations. Retired Humber pilot David Raddings came across the following record Read the rest of this entry »

TYNE PILOTS: THE END OF AN ERA

On 31st March 2008, an era in the history of the river Tyne ended with the retirement of John Marshall and Alan Purvis, the last traditional Tyne Pilot family pilots.

L – R John Marshall, Eddie Cowell & Alan Purvis

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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 »

Venn, Alfred William

Alfred William Venn

My father died just six weeks short of his one hundredth birthday. He was the last known survivor of the Bristol Channel Sailing Pilots.

View the original illustrated pdf magazine article (page 8):

At the height of the industrial revolution, the new coal ports of South Wales became boom towns – the Silicon Valleys – of their day. Great wealth was created and commerce from Swansea to Newport, and good Welsh coal was shipped to the four corners of the world to fuel the new era. Read the rest of this entry »

Youde, Ronald Fergus

Ronald Fergus Youde (1910 – 2005)

Article by RF Youde on Piloting WW2 (Page 11)

https://pilotmag.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/pilotmag-284-final.pdf
Pilot Ronald Fergus Youde died peacefully on 14th December 2005, aged 95. Read the rest of this entry »

Nelson Memorial

NELSON FUNERAL RE-ENACTMENT

The Nelson Funeral re-enactment was held on the Thames on 16th September 2005. Several pilots and retired pilots attended this event and shown here are First Sea Lord

Sir Alan West with L-R Nick Cutmore, IMPA Secretary General, Leonard Fenner Retd.

(London TH North Channel & PLA), Peter Widd (TH & PLA), Peter Russell Retd.( London TH Cinque Ports & PLA) and Norman Knowles Retd. (London TH Cinque Ports)

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