ARTICLE
SmallBoatWork–
DangerousThen,Dangerous
Today
Theabilitytoconductinshore
hydrographicsurveyshasalways
beendependentonsmallboatsand
theseamanshipofthoseconducting
thesurveys.Besidestheobvioususe
ofsmallboatsfortheacquisitionof
soundingsandtheiraccompanying
positions,itwasnotsolongagothat
manysurveysofremoteandopen
coastlinesalsohadtotransport
topographicandgeodeticsurvey
crewstoshorecampsordailywork
areas.Althoughthenatureofboth
shoreworkandhydrographicwork
haschangedsomewhatoverthe
years,smallboatworkwithits
attendantdangershasremaineda
constant.
Beforethedaysofradio
communications,mechanical
propulsionsystems,radarandelectronicnavigationsystems,thesurveyorswere
dependentonlyontheirseamanshiptomaketheirwaysafelytoandfromtheir
ships.Forpropulsion,theyhadonlytheirskillwithoarsandsometimessails.And
sometimes,evenwheninsightoftheshiporshore,disastercouldstrike.When
outofsightoftheship,thesurveyorswereontheirown.Although
hydrographersexperiencedmanyhalcyondaysofgentleseasandglorious
weather,aslittleastwentytothirtyyearsagohydrographershadlittleknowledge
ofwhattheafternoonweatherorseaswouldbewhenputtingtheboatsover
fromamothershipintheearlymorning.Unpredictableweatherandseas,
unknownandhiddendangerstonavigation,andsometimeshostilenativesall
combinedtomaketheworkofthehydrographerdangerousandsometimes
deadly.
Thehydrographersofallnationsengagedinchartinghaveexperiencedthedangerofthework.AlthoughSpanish,
PortugueseandDutchhydrographerspioneeredtheearlysearoutes,fewaccountscanbefoundoftheirearlywork,
particularlyasrelatedtosmallboatwork.Curiously,twooftheearlieraccountsofthedangersofsmallboatworkoccurred
withinafewhundredmilesofeachotheronthecoastofAlaska.
VitusBering,whosailedthroughBeringStraitbutmissedseeingtheAlaskancoastin1728,embarkedonanorthernPacific
voyageinsearchoftheAmericancontinentin1741withtwoships,theSt.PeterandtheSt.Paul.Theshipsseparatedinpoor
weatherandBering’ssecondincommand,AlexeiChirikovontheSt.Paul,actuallymadelandfallonedayearlierthanBeringon
15July1741.Chirikov’slandfallwasonwhatwasprobablyPrinceofWalesIslandintoday’ssoutheastAlaska,whileBering
madelandfallon16JulyinthevicinityofMt.StElias,over400milestothenorthwest.ForthreedaysChirikovproceededto
thenorthlookingforaharbour.Apparentlyhewasfaroffshoreastherearenumerousopeningsthathecouldhaveentered.
Instead,onJuly18,hefinallyspiedwhathethoughtwouldbeasafeharbourandsentaboatcrewwithelevenmentosound
itoutandattempttomakecontactwiththenatives.Theboatdidnotreturnandpoorweathersetinforanumberofdays
beforeChirikovcouldsendinasecondboatwithfourmentoinvestigate.Thisboatdidnotreturneither–seeminglyboth
disappearedintothinair.Chirikovhadnochoicebuttoabandonhismentotheirfateashehadnootherboats.Thisfirst
EuropeanattempttosoundoutaharbouronthecoastofnorthwestAmericanettedfifteenmenlost.Whethertheywere
victimisedbyweather,seas,ornativeAmericansremainsamystery.
Forty-fiveyearslater,theFrenchexplorerJeanFrançoisdeGalaup,comtedeLapérouse,embarkedonascientific
circumnavigationoftheearth,onlytovanishwithhisshipssomewherenorthofAustralia.Beforemeetingthisend,hehad
investigatedtheAlaskancoastlineearlieranddiscoveredabaythathecalledPortdesFrancais(todaycalledLituyaBay)inJuly
1786.HebroughthisshipthroughthenarrowentranceonJuly3andcommencedsurveyingthebay.Heerectedasmall
observatoryonthecentralislandofthebayforobservinglatitudeandlongitudeaswell.Bythe13ththesurveywasnearly
finishedexceptafewremainingsoundingstofinishtheworkattheentranceofthebay.Threeboatsweresentout.Initially
oneboatwasswampedandoverturnedinthebreakerline.Asecondboatthatwenttotherescuewasalsooverturned.The
thirdboat,fearingasimilarfate,watchedhelplesslyandthenreturnedtotheshipwiththesadnews.Intotal,twenty-onemen
hadlosttheirlivesonthebarofLituyaBay.Thenexttwoweekswerespentinfruitlesslysearchingforbodies.Theremaining
crewalsoerectedacenotaphonthecentralislandandnamedtheislandCenotaphIsland,anamethathassurviveduptothe
present.Liketheboatcrewsthathadbeensweptawayearlier,thememorialwassweptawaybytheLituyaBaymegatsunamiof9July1958,awavethatswepttreesoffthesurroundingmountainsover500metresabovethesurfaceofthe
bay.
Bytheearly1800s,theBritishAdmiralty’sHydrographicOfficehadembarkedonanambitiousprogrammeofsurveyingthe
coastlinesoftheworld.Inthistheylargelysucceeded,however,sometimesatthecostofsurveyor’slives.Halfaworldaway
fromtheearlyAlaskandisasters,MatthewFlindersembarkedonhisgreatAustraliansurveysonthefirstHMSInvestigator.
LeavingEnglandinJuly1801,theInvestigatorproceededtoAustraliaviatheCapeofGoodHope.On6December,Flinders
madelandfallatCapeLeeuwinandthenconductedarunningsurveyalongAustralia’ssouthcoast.Twomonthslaterhehad
arrivedoffthewesternentrancetoSpencerGulf.Herehesentacutterashoreinsearchofwaterwithhisgoodfriendand
shipmatesince1794,Mr.Thistle,andsevenothercrewmen.Theirboatwasspiedleavingthebeachatduskbutnever
returnedtotheship.Asecondboatwassentouttoinvestigateandreporteddangeroustideripsandoverfallsinthevicinity
ofwhereThistle’sboathadlastbeenseen.Thefollowingday,remainsoftheboatwerefoundbuttracesofitscrewwere
neverfound.FlinderscommemoratedthesemenbynamingCapeCatastrophe,MemoryCove,andeightsmallislandsfor
eachofthemenwholosttheirlives-Thistle,Taylor,Smith,Lewis,Grindal,Little,HopkinsandWilliams.
Nearly180degreesoflongitudefromCapeCatastropheliesCapeHornandtheStraitsofMagellan.TheBritishHydrographic
Officebegansurveyingthesestraitsin1826underCaptainPhilipGidleyKingonHMSAdventurewiththetenderHMSBeagle
underCaptainPringleStokes.Theseshipsandtheircrewsencounteredextremeweatherduringthesesurveyswiththe
attendantdangerstobothshipsandboatcrews.ThedangerousnatureoftheirsurveyworkwasnotedinTheAdmiralty
ChartbyAdmiralGeorgeRitchie:“TheextremefoulnessoftheweatherwasbroughthometotheAdventurewhen,onlya
monthafteroperationsbegan,LieutenantAinsworthwaslostwithtwoofhiscrewwhenhighwindsovertookhiminthegig
whilstcrossingtheStraittoPortFamine.”TherigorsofthissurveyweresuchthattheycausedCaptainStokestocommit
suicidebyshootinghimself.Hediedinadeliriumaftertwelvedays,imaginingthattheBeaglewasdrivingonaleeshorefor
thelastandfataltime.LieutenantSkyringtemporarilytookcommandoftheBeaglebeforebeingrelievedbyCaptainRobert
FitzwilliamFitzroy–commandingofficeroftheBeagleduringthefamouscruiseofCharlesDarwin.Fitzroyalsocommitted
suicide,butnearly40yearslaterbyslittinghisthroatwithastraightrazor.
Althoughweatherandwaveskilledmanyhydrographers,byfarthelargestnumberoffatalitiesoccurredduringthesurveyof
30,000milesofAfricancoastbyCaptainW.F.OwenontheLevenandthefollow-onsurveys.Thissurveyisofnearlegendary
statusintheannalsofBritishhydrography.Thesefatalitieswerealmostalwaystheresultofdiseaseascomparedtoboat
accidents.Itwasnearlyadeathsentencefordetachedsurveycrewstobeleftashoreorsentuptropicalrivers.A
hydrographicpartyleftinanaccompanyingtendercalledtheCockburnlost13of20menin1823whenleftatashorecamp
atDelagoaBay.CaptainJohnWashington,afutureheadoftheHydrographicOffice,wrotein1838:“Thisgiganticsurvey,
embracingtheeastandwestcoastofAfrica,fromtheIsthmusofSuezroundbytheCapeofGoodHopetothePillarsof
Hercules,maybesaidtohavebeendrawnandcolouredwithdropsofblood.TwicedidCaptainOwenchangehiswholecrew
andofficers;thoseaccomplishedsurveyors,CaptainBotelerandSkyring,fellasacrificeduringitsprogress,andnow,inthe
hourofconclusion,thecrewsoftheEtnaandRavenhaveallbutsharedtheirfate.”
ReturningtoNorthAmerica,theUnitedStatesCoastSurveywasnotimmunetothedangersofsmallboatwork.Coast
surveyorsdrownedinsmallboataccidentsintheKennebecRiver,Maine;ApalachicolaBay,Florida;MobileBay,Alabama;San
LuisPass,Texas;TillamookRiverBar,Oregon;ColumbiaRiver,Oregon;JoCreek,Washington;numerouspointsontheAlaska
coast;andnumerouspointsinthePhilippineIslands.PerhapsthemostpoignantofthesewastheoccurrenceatApalachicola
whentwoofficersandfourseamenwerereturningtotheCoastSurveyschoonerSillimanfromSundaychurchservices.They
wereundersailwhenasuddengustofwindoverturnedthesmallboat.Allsixmendrowned.AlthoughAlexanderDallas
Bache,thesecondsuperintendentoftheCoastSurvey,waseulogisingthreeyoungmenwhodiedinthelineofdutyin1852,
thefollowingistrueofmanyofthesurveyorsnotedinthisarticle:"Theseofficershaveleftlittletotheirfamiliesbutthe
inheritanceofagoodname."
Theadditionofenginesandoutboardmotors,althoughmitigatingthelossoflifeinsmallboataccidents,didnotentirelyend
fatalaccidents.On26September1936,Lt.MarshallReeseandQuartermasterMaxMcLeesleftashorecamponUnimak
Islandinadorywithanoutboardmotortoobtainsuppliesandcommunicatewiththeship.Themenremainingincamp,
helplesstoassist,sawthedorycapsizeanddriftouttoseawiththetwomenclingingtoit.Twooftheremainingmenhikedto
DutchHarbourandnotifiedtheCoastGuardwhichimmediatelyputtosea.However,aterrificgalehadbeensweepingthe
areaandtheremainsofReeseandMcLeeswereneverfound.ThemostrecentfatalboataccidentintheUnitedStatesCoast
Surveyoccurredon13August2002,whenEricKoss,coxswainofasurveylaunchofftheNOAAShipRainier,losthislifeoff
ElringtonIsland.He,likemanyofthosehydrographersworldwidewholosttheirlivesinthelineofduty,iscommemoratedby
namingacoastalfeatureinhishonour.KossCovejoinsthenamesimpartedbyFlindersontheAustraliancoast,thosegiven
byOwenontheAfricancoast,andthosegivenbyotherhydrographersonthecoastsoftheworldincommemoratingtheir
fallencomrades.
https://www.hydro-international.com/content/article/small-boat-work-dangerous-then-dangerous-today