For want of a chronometer

For want of a chronometer

By the time George Simpson took command of the transport hospital ship, Arniston, in 1814, he was a 60-year-old, seasoned mariner. Arniston was owned by a company called Borradailes of London and had been requisitioned by the Royal Navy to bring invalided soldiers of the 73rd Regiment and some of their families back to England from Ceylon (modern day Sri Lanka).  Arniston was an East India merchant ship built on the Thames in 1794. Armed with 58 guns, it was 175 feet LOA, with a 43-foot beam, drawing 17 feet. On this voyage, Arniston would be homeward bound with 378…
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The 222 Cruise

The 222 Cruise

BY DAVID BERSON At first glance there is nothing that newsworthy about three old friends going cruising from Bermuda via the Azores to England; that is unless you consider that these three friends were each 74 years old. In 1981, when they made the cruise, age 60 was considered “elderly.” The British press referred to the cruise as the “222”— a reference to the combined ages of the sailors. All three of these septuagenarians were special in another way; they were all highly decorated Royal Navy veterans. Each had earned the Distinguished Service Cross for their gallantry and bravery during…
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