The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1936-02-22
Vagabond
from
Indiana
ERNIE PYLE
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. Feb. "a

EWPORT NEWS, va, FEB. e.
IN During the World War, a
German submarine torpedoed and
sank the Diamond Shoals hghtship,
of the coast from Norfolk, Va.
The submarine skipper put the
distressed American sailors into a
boat, handed them a Norfolk news
paper of the day before and sent
them safely ashore. How the sub
marine captain got that newspaper
was one of the mysteries of the
war.
A couple of years later one of the
regular harbor pilots here was
easing a German freighter acroSs
Hampton Roads into her berth.
Suddenly the German skipper.
standing on the bridge beside him.
said: Il was in Norfolk during the
war"
The pilot, amazed, said: Chow
did you get to Norfolk during the
WARP"
why, sank the Diamond Shoals
lightship," the skipper replied. we
pulled in close to Virginia Beach
the night before and 1 came ashore
in a small boat, and went to movie
in Norfolk. After the movie i
rowed back out to the sub and next
morning we torpedoed the lightShip.
Sure, I remember giving them the
Norfolk newspaper"
OF course, a harbor pilot doesn't
~ bump into a yarn like that
every day, but the pilots do meet a
lot of interesting people.
Take Capt. Fred Cock. for in
stance. He's been meeting ships
from across the oceans out at Cape
Henry, and guiding them through
the Hampton Roads channels into
their berths at Norfolk and New
port News. for As years.
Yes, sir, 46 years. He's been on
so many ships and knows SO many
captains he couldn't begin to count
them. And yet he's been across the
ocean only once. That was in 1900,
when he went to. Europe on va
cation. He never has been to sea
as a sailor. He still lives in the
house where he was born at Hamp-
ton
1t takes staff of AZ pilots to move
the 1900 ships in and out of Hamp-
ton Roads each year. Few of the
pilots ever have been to sea. Most
of them, like Capt. Cock, started
right here as apprentice pilots.
They are turned out at any hour
of the night, and in all kinds of
weather, to bring ships in. But they
have pretty nice jobs at that.
They're off three or four days be-
tween each trip, and if they behave
they have lifetime jobs!
CAPT. COCK is 81 and has snowy
~ hair. But he's still bringing
them in on his turn. Right now
he's sitting at a desk in the pilots
Office, directing the others. But it's
just while somebody else is sick. He
doesn't like desk jobs.
He's huge, jolly man, and when
he speaks he yells. He kids every
body, and when pilots wives call
up to ask when their husbands will
be home, he tells them they're stuck
on mud bank and won't get off for
week.
During the war, but before we
were in it, Capt. Cock was taking
his turn out at Cape Henry one
morning, when 10 and behold Ger
man submarine showed up to be pi-
loted up the bay to Baltimore. 1t
was the Deutschland.
Some people might not have
known what to do, but Capt. Cock
sent her right up to Baltimore, just
as the skipper wanted. He was
called on the carpet for it; but he
told them the skipper had papers
as commercial vessel, and The
papers were made out correctly, so
who was he to be stopping a ship
with proper papers? He was right,
too. The. sub fueled at Baltimore,
and was allowed to take to the sea
again. Two British and one French
cruiser were waiting for her at Cape
Henry, but they never even saw her
leave.
n
XNHEN Capt. Cock started pilot
w ing ships into Hampton Roads,
most of them were sailing vessels.
He hasn't seen a sailing ship in
three years But he thinks sailing
ships will come back. Nobody else
thinks so, but Capt. Cock does. He
says steam vessels are getting too
expensive to operate, and there's a
lot of cargo that isn't in that big
a hurry.
The little finger on Capt. Cocks
right hand is gone. I had visions
of some adventurous struggle with a
storm begged freighter, or maybe
even fight with an East Indian
skipper.
NO." said Capt. Cock. years ago
was monkeying with my rowboat
at home, and stepped on stick. and
it flew up and mashed my finger
against the boat"