Ever wonder what the title of our blog actually means? It may seem intuitive, but the pilot house is a room occupied by the ship’s pilot who controls most of the ship’s operations. The term is interchangeable with wheel house, and in some cases can also be synonymous with the “bridge”. But when and how did these terms actually develop?
In the old days of sailing ships, the ship’s wheel was located towards the stern (rear of the ship), behind the ship’s main mast. When paddle steamers were created, the engineers onboard needed tall platforms from which they could inspect the individual paddle wheels, and from which the captain could have an unobstructed view. An elevated walkway, or bridge, connected the platforms enabling the engineers onboard to inspect the individual paddle wheels more easily; because the bridge was in the ideal location to command the ship, pilot houses were built to shelter the commanding officers from wind and rain. The wheel became enclosed in a “wheel house” where the helmsman could steer the ship and issue orders, frequently in the same room as the pilot and captain.
Hornblower Cruises and Events’ corporate office is located on the Ferryboat Santa Rosa at Pier 3 in San Francisco. Much of the ship, including the bridge, has been converted into office and meeting space. Although it is permanently anchored here, the Santa Rosa acts as the command center for all of Hornblower’s operations—in this way, you know that all posts on our blog are physically and figuratively coming From the Pilot House…
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