For me, a junior marine meteorologist at Infoplaza, the offshore world has always been around in my family. My father worked at offshore platforms throughout his career, and my grandfather has been a captain in the Dutch merchant navy, sailing worldwide from the 1950s until the 1970s. Later, he transferred to the offshore supply trade, being based in Aberdeen, Scotland. No wonder that I, despite staying onshore, currently find myself in a job that is related to the marine industry.
At Infoplaza Marine Weather we provide detailed weather information for all sorts of offshore operations. Nowadays, with a wide network of meteorological observations and advanced weather models, we can make detailed and tailored weather forecasts, allowing you to take necessary precautions or suspend your offshore operations in case of upcoming adverse weather conditions.
But how was this accomplished in the past, without weather models, radar, satellite and only a limited number of meteorological observations? Where did captains and crews rely on to make critical decisions at sea, and what kind of data did they actually have? To find out, I decided to visit my grandfather, Albert Koning, and hear directly from him about his life at sea — and how weather influenced every step of the way.
How did you become a Captain? And what exactly were your tasks onboard?
“After finishing Nautical College in Groningen, I commenced sailing in 1953 and retired as captain 40 years later. Together with the other ship’s officers, I was responsible for safely navigating the vessel to its destination. This included concrete tasks such as planning the route, communicating with the outside world and ‘being at the wheel’ of course. Our main port was Rotterdam, but our working area was worldwide.”
The type of ship Koning has been captain of for a large part of his career. Photo: Gemeente Archief Vlissingen.
How important was the weather for your work?
“The weather was an important factor during sailing. Just like today, the weather has a large influence on sailing operations, affecting and determining the route up to a certain level. Obviously, the safety of our crew and ship was always a priority. Apart from causing danger, it was a factor to always take into account. Based on wind and wave directions, the weather could be a factor to benefit from and speed up the voyage, or be a disadvantage and cause delays. Eventually, that also had its financial consequences of course.”
“Next to that, the weather was also ‘just’ interesting to keep track of. When enroute, the captain and officers also had a task to regularly conduct meteorological observations every 6 hours (GMT), either with equipment or just visually.”
What meteorological observations did you conduct on board?
“Observations we made at the ship included measurements of air and sea temperature, atmospheric pressure, nature and altitude of clouds, visibility, humidity, wind force and direction, wave height and swell direction.
For some of these measurements, such as precipitation, simple notations were made. For others, equipment was available on board, such as thermometers and barographs/barometers for the air and sea temperature and for the atmospheric pressure, as well as handheld anemometers and psychrometers for the wind speed and humidity. Some of this reporting could be carried out from inside the wheelhouse, but for a part of it one had to go out on the bridgewing. Adverse weather was not an excuse. So despite these tasks being very interesting, it was not always a pleasure to do, as you can imagine.
Other parameters were not measured, but simply based on visual observations. With experience, one could estimate wave height and windspeed quite accurately for instance by watching the sea. Comparing the waves with your own height on the bridge during bad weather could serve as an acceptable manner of observation.”
Was there any communication with the outside world?
“Yes. All these 6-hourly observations were entered in a meteo-logbook, before the radio-officer sent them as a telegram to a shorebased radio station. Reports from ships that followed the same route were collected and forwarded together to a central point, I think in Paris. Owners were to decide which ships joined this system, which were then called ‘selected ships’ after participation. From Paris onward, the info could be made available to people preparing local weather forecasts.
Based on our position over the world, we received back all relevant information, such as measurements from nearby vessels or ports. A pitfall of this method was that in some situations, for example when sailing across regions with very little shipping, such as the South Pacific, weather reports were scarce. It could happen that there was no supplementary data available, and you just received back your input.”
How did you process the information you received back?
“With coded info we received from the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) or similar institutes, again by radio, we could draw our own isobaric and synoptic charts, to get a general picture of the weather one could experience. They could serve as a basis for storm-avoiding navigation.
Next to that, we used a special type of atlas and pilot charts. These charts display averages of meteorological conditions, such as wind speed and pressure throughout different periods of the year. In certain areas during hurricane season we compared our barometric pressure with entries in the atlas. It helped us to judge whether the current situation was ‘normal’. In case of small deviations, there was no reason to worry. But if we found out that the deviations were large, we should prepare ourselves for bad weather and take precautions if needed.”
What kind of precautions were possible?
“In case bad weather threatened ahead on our intended track, we could deviate by altering course and/or speed, hoping to avoid the worst conditions. When not successful, one had to rely on the ship’s characteristics and behaviour. In situations like that, the main task was to ensure conditions on board got bearable for ship and crew. Courses should be chosen away from the low pressure, and wind should be used for the same purpose. Delay under such conditions was acceptable, and of no importance.
The worst situation I recall was in one of my first voyages. Three separate cyclones over North America and the Caribbean joined together and formed a very large mid-Atlantic low pressure area. I still think it was possibly the worst weather I ever encountered, but luckily we got through in the end.”
Conclusive remarks
Half a century ago, the maritime world was very different in terms of weather data availability. The methods and equipment that are used have modernised in the meantime, but specifically the provision of information has evolved largely since then. Where in those days six hourly observations were sometimes the only available source of weather information, tailored weather reports are now delivered by making use of, amongst others, weather model data and satellite imagery.
At Infoplaza, we are proud to offer these services and are always available to interpret and explain the latest weather situations. To stay updated on the most recent weather evolvements, please consult the latest weather reports on our website.
If you want to read more marine articles, for instance about the evolution of weather forecasting, please click here.
