Some traditional occupations have survived the passage of time to today’s modern, sophisticated age. Bill Lowe, BE ’85, of Lewes, Del., has one of those jobs, just as other members of his family have before him.
A Delaware River pilot can be found on Lowe’s family tree for 10 generations, beginning with John E. Maull, who began working in the 1750s, before the Revolutionary War, guiding wooden boats and iron men up and down the waterway. And, now, Lowe’s son, William III, carries on the family tradition by working the river and bay.
In 1952, when he was 17 and attending Lewes High School, Lowe signed on as an apprentice with the 102-year-old organization, the Pilots of the Bay and River Delaware. For $5 a month, he chipped paint, did assorted chores, assisted the working pilots and learned the basics of seamanship.
In 1956, he piloted his first ship.
"It was June 1," Lowe recalls. "I took a World War II Liberty Ship, the Elna, to Philadelphia. I think every pilot remembers his first solo ship. It was like graduating from the University of Delaware, or getting your first job."
The pilots are responsible for guiding shipping from the mouth of the Delaware Bay to ports along the river in Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The stretch from the bay to the northernmost port, near Trenton, N.J., is about 130 miles.
The operation never stops and, for river pilots, holidays don’t exist. Except for a brief stall during severe weather conditions, pilots guide incoming and outgoing ships 365 days a year, 24 hours a day.
When ships arrive from the ocean, the pilots are taken out to meet them on a craft similar to a large speedboat. The small boat pulls alongside the ship, and the pilot climbs a dangling rope ladder to board the moving vessel. Once on the lower deck, the pilot is escorted directly to the bridge and takes control.
Association pilots also board outgoing ships at northern ports–such as Philadephia, Camden, N.J., Wilmington, Del., and Delaware City, Del.–to guide the vessels out to sea.
Pilots of the Bay and River Delaware also are responsible for leading ships in and out of the eastern portion of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal.
In his home, surrounded by documents and family artifacts reflecting hundreds of years working the water, Lowe often makes reference to the past.
An avid historian, he explains how American Indians originally guided white settlers’ ships up the Delaware River. He speaks of his hometown's importance to shipping before the days of electronic communication, and he tells of the pilots’ important role in commerce and war.
His seems an odd job for someone who doesn’t like to travel.
"I like Delaware," he says. "I do not like to explore strange places. But, this job enables me to meet people from all over the world.
"I’ve been on British ships, Italian ships, Korean ships. I have met people from all over the world. I try their food and learn how they are different. While on the river, I get a sense of their culture. Then, a few hours later, I'm back home."
One of the concerns of piloting–and it happens occasionally–is not being able to get off a ship that is exiting the bay in rough seas. When the smaller craft that deliver and pick up pilots are unable to reach a departing ship, the pilot may end up weeks later in a foreign country. "I came very close to being carried away," Lowe says. "It was New Year’s Eve, and I was setting out of Delaware City on a ship headed for Venezuela.
"Now," he adds, laughing, "if I was captive on a passenger ship that would be fun. But, you wouldn’t want to be taken on a tanker to get crude oil. We've had to send passports and documents to pilots when that happens."
Lowe has guided everything from tugboats pulling mammoth barges and fruit ships to gleaming passenger liners and the battleship U.S.S. New Jersey.
He says the cargo that leaves and enters the Delaware River is a reflection of the changing needs and wants of the consumer. Years ago, coal and grain were exported from Philadelphia. Today, those commodities rarely travel the river.
Nowadays, Wilmington is regarded as a major East Coast import site for bananas, and ships filled with automobiles make regular stops at the northern Delaware port. Millions of barrels of crude oil also are delivered to refineries that stretch from Delaware City to Pennsylvania.
After nearly a half century on the water, Lowe’s conversation and tone reflect definite pride and satisfaction.
"If you don’t enjoy your job, it doesn’t matter how much money you receive. My son feels the same way. But, this is like any job. When it’s working well, it’s very satisfying, and, when it’s not, it’s very frightening. On the water, it can be 90 percent routine and 10 percent sheer terror."
Lowe says he was one of the oldest people in his Parallel Program graduating class, and he likes it that way. "I don’t have to put up with a bunch of old people at my reunions," he quips.
His UD education renewed his interest in Delaware history, he says, and opened up new avenues for him to explore.
Since his graduation, he has become more active in the community, serving as a board member or officer of such organizations as Beebe Hospital, the Delaware Humanities Forum and the Delaware Heritage Commission, which he currently chairs.
Lowe has a worn, leather diary that was kept by his grandfather, listing all the ships his ancestor piloted from 1901-1920. During a career that spanned 18 years and seven months, Lowe’s grandfather worked on 795 ships.
In the same length of time, Bill Lowe’s own records indicate that he had worked 3,725 ships. To date, his number has reached more than 6,000.
"That doesn’t mean they spent less time working," Lowe explains of the early pilots. "It’s just that there was less communication in those days. They would keep 10 pilots out on the pilot boat, waiting for ships to appear."
–Ed Okonowicz, AS ’69, ’84M