A French munitions ship and a Norwegian steamer collided in Halifax harbour in December 1917, and the blast that followed remains the largest human-made explosion before the atomic bomb. Within six days, a formal inquiry opened — and within two months it placed nearly all the blame on one harbour pilot. Wreck Commissioner Arthur Drysdale's inquiry found Mont-Blanc's pilot and captain responsible for the collision that triggered the disaster, and all three men involved, including a naval...
⚓ **Deep Sea Pilot Disembarking from Oil Tanker | Brixham, UK | November 2026** Experience a real-life Deep Sea Pilot disembarkation from an oil tanker off the coast of Brixham, Devon, United Kingdom, in November 2026. This video captures the final stage of a Deep Sea Pilot's voyage, including the pilot transfer from a large oil tanker to a pilot boat. Deep Sea Pilots play an essential role in maritime navigation, guiding commercial vessels through busy shipping routes, including the...
It has been shown that a majority (51%) of pilot ladders is secured by means of D-shackles, when secured at intermediate length. Previous research (Evans, 2020) has proven that this method has only about 50% of the strength of the pilot ladder when secured at full length (“double ended ladder”), or by means of the “endless-sling” method.
