The Last of the Sailing Cutters

28 October 2020

Lockdown updates

The Covid 19 lockdown has given us the chance to catch up with a series of articles which had previously been ‘one day, I shall …’ […]
14 February 2020

‘A very nice middy’ – Daniel Pender RN 1832-1891

A chance encounter led Volunteer Linda Batchelor on the trail of Daniel Pender, a Falmouth boy descended from a line of Packet ship sailors, who helped […]
29 October 2019

The Guns of Prussia’s Cove

Cornwall is almost synonymous with smuggling and few late C18 smuggling families are more famous than the Carters of Prussia’s (now Prussia) Cove. They, and their […]
30 August 2019

Penzance registered luggers and MFVs

We are fortunate that a large collection of historic photographs exist showing some of the luggers and motor fishing vessels registered in Penzance and fishing both […]
20 April 2019

Operation Ariel and Falmouth – June 1940

The evacuation from Dunkirk of June 1940 is well-known but the evacuation from the rest of France in Operation Ariel is rarely mentioned in accounts of […]
12 February 2019

New: Broad and Sons, Ship Agents of Falmouth

There were two leading Ship Agents operating in the town during Falmouth’s heyday in the C19: Fox’s and Broad’s. These companies provided services to ship owners […]
20 November 2018

New: Edward Lawrance’s journal

Edward Lawrance was the commander of the Anna Teresa packet which left Falmouth for the Caribbean on 9 June 1776. He kept a journal which was […]
30 October 2018

New: Falmouth’s Annus Horribilis

Falmouth may have been the first and last major port to the west and a ‘safe anchorage’ in a storm but it was not ideal, especially […]
21 August 2018

New: The Last of the Sailing Cutters

We have added a new section which contains a transcription of the diaries of Walter Benson Hunkin, originally of Mevagissey in Cornwall. He served aboard the last […]
21 August 2018
James' illustration of a bonito

New: More stories from the Packet Surgeon

As well as re-presenting Maritime Views we have taken the opportunity to add some more material for some of our existing stories. One of these is […]
8 July 2018

We are only human …

The transfer of data from the old website to this one has been a massive (manual) effort. Although we have tried hard to re-edit everything, we […]
26 June 2018
Jonik

Welcome to the new Maritime Views website

We are sailing … again. Our previous site has been causing all sorts of problems recently and so we have been back to the starting line […]
14 October 2018

Aboard the Fly again on the Limerick station

In 1900 Walter returned to the Fly, a third class sailing cruiser of 60 tons, which he had first met nearly 20 years earlier, moving from […]
14 October 2018

Aboard the Flora on the Kingstown station

In 1897, Walter was given his first command: the Flora, a third class cutter of 60 tons, patrolling the familiar Irish east coast waters of the […]
14 October 2018

Aboard the Seamew on the Harwich station

Walter was promoted to Senior Mate in 1895 and joined the Seamew, a 376 ton steam tender based in the Harwich District which covered the stretch […]
14 October 2018

Aboard the Rose on the Hull station

In 1893 Walter joined the sailing cruiser Rose, a yawl of 130 tons, as Second Mate. This took him to the Hull district which stretched from […]
13 October 2018

Aboard the Hind on the Kingstown station

Walter, now a Chief Petty Officer, then moved to the east coast of Ireland and the Kingstown district where he joined the Hind, a yawl of […]
13 October 2018

Aboard the Mary on the Weymouth station

Walter was now a Chief Petty Officer and joined the Mary,  a 30 ton cutter, based at Portland. The Weymouth district covered the south coast from […]
13 October 2018

Aboard the Squirrel on the Clyde station

Walter was promoted Acting Chief Quartermaster when he joined the Squirrel, a third class sailing cutter of only 40 tons, smaller than both the Fly and Victoria. […]
13 October 2018

Aboard the Victoria on the Limerick station

Walter joined the Victoria with the rank of Leading Seaman, soon being promoted to Quartermaster and then Acting Petty Chief Officer. The Victoria was a first […]
2 October 2018

The Years at Sea

The Years at Sea cover Walter Hunkin’s early life through to the end of his coastguard career afloat in 1907. During this time he served in […]