Pilots' Association For The Bay & River Delaware facts for kids

The Pilots' Association For The Bay & River Delaware is a special group of people who guide large ships safely through the Delaware Bay and Delaware River. This association is one of the oldest groups of its kind in the United States, started way back in 1896.

These pilots are experts who help huge ocean-going ships, like passenger liners, cargo ships, and oil tankers, move in and out of the busy harbor. The Delaware Bay is a large body of water bordered by the states of New Jersey and Delaware. It opens up to the Atlantic Ocean between two points called Cape Henlopen (in Delaware) and Cape May (in New Jersey).

History of Delaware Pilots

Early Piloting in Delaware Bay

A map showing the Delaware Bay, where pilots guide ships.

The Cape Henlopen Light, a historic lighthouse near the bay.

People have been guiding ships in the Delaware Bay and Delaware River for a very long time, even since 1650! By the late 1700s, these pilots had become an organized group. To become a pilot, a person had to train for four years as an apprentice. After that, they took a test to get their official license.

For many years, the rules for pilots in the Delaware Bay and River were set by the laws of Pennsylvania. This changed in 1833. One of the first official licenses for Delaware pilots was given out in 1837. As time went on, the way pilots worked kept developing. Pilots from New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania each had their own rules. Even in 1860, pilot licenses for the Delaware Bay and River were still given out in Philadelphia.

As more ships started using the bay, pilots would wait for them behind Cape Henlopen. Later, the Governor of Delaware became responsible for choosing people to oversee the pilots. In 1881, new laws were made for pilots in Delaware. A group of five commissioners was created to give out licenses and help settle any disagreements. These laws also said that pilots should still be paid if a ship was damaged or couldn't finish its journey up the bay.

Coming Together: A New Association

In the late 1800s, there was some competition between pilots from New Jersey and Pennsylvania. However, on November 28, 1896, the pilots of the Delaware Bay and River decided to work together. They held their first meeting in Lewes, Delaware, and chose to form the Pilots' Association for Delaware Bay and River.

At this meeting, they made plans for how the association would work financially. Each member bought shares, and all the money earned from guiding ships would be shared equally among the active pilots. The first official meeting to set up the rules and elect leaders happened on December 3, 1896, in Philadelphia. Seventy-five pilots were there, including members from the older Pennsylvania Pilots' Association and the Delaware Pilots' Association.

In December 1996, a joint meeting of the Pennsylvania and Delaware pilots took place. Their goal was to fully combine their groups into one new organization: the Delaware Bay and River Pilots' Association. The pilots combined their money and ordered a new steel steam pilot boat called the Philadelphia. This was the first pilot station located five miles outside the cape. The new association had 92 pilots and 12 apprentices. Other pilot boats, like the Ebe W. Tunnell and J. Henry Edmunds, worked near the Five Fathom Bank. Others, like the William W. Ker and the John G. Whilldin, cruised near the Fenwick Island Light.

Famous Delaware Pilot Boats

The Thomas F. Bayard, a historic Delaware pilot boat.

The pilot boats Thomas F. Bayard and Thomas Howard were two of the last sailing ships used by Delaware pilots. They served for a very long time. The schooner Thomas Howard was built in 1870 in Philadelphia. She had a long career helping pilots. A pilot named James A. Orton even kept a diary of daily life on board the Howard in 1880.

The Thomas Howard was about 79 feet long. The pilot schooner Thomas F. Bayard was built in 1880 in Brooklyn, New York. She was about 86 feet long. She was named after Thomas F. Bayard, a politician and diplomat from Wilmington, Delaware. The Thomas F. Bayard, No. 2, was one of the very last sailing schooners used by pilots in the Delaware Bay.

Notable Pilot Boats of Delaware

• New Kit or Little Kitty (1810s)
• Matthew L. Bivan (1810s)
• Oscar B. Davis (1820s)
• Louisiana (1820s)
• Henry F. Mierken (1820s)
• William W. Ker (1889)
• Enoch Turley (1842)
• Henry C. Cope (1870s)
• Thomas Howard (1870)
• Thomas F. Bayard (1880)
• Ebe W. Tunnell (1887)

Today's Operations

The Pilots' Association for the Bay and River Delaware is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It continues to be one of the oldest pilot organizations in the country. All pilots who are licensed by the states of Pennsylvania and Delaware are members of this association. Both Pennsylvania and Delaware pilots are equally represented.

The association provides pilot services 24 hours a day, every day. They have a pilot station at Cape Henlopen and offices in Lewes, Delaware, Chesapeake City, Maryland, and Philadelphia.

See also

• Port of Wilmington (Delaware)
• Delaware River and Bay Authority
• Delaware pilot boats