photo courtesy Bill Cook, ET2 USS Tidewater 1962-1965

o matter how experienced the captain or navigator of a ship might have been, it was always best to seek local talent when coming into a foreign port. Naples was no exception.

Here we see a local harbor pilot getting ready to board AD31 in Naples. His boat pulls up alongside. A ladder is thrown down and he climbs aboard.

Next he'll come up to the captain's cabin for a bit of refreshment - not too much, now. Mustn't be long as he has other ships waiting for him. What a racket.