RIP Captain Richard Woodman

Richard Woodman was born in London and went to sea at the age of 16 in cargo liners trading worldwide. Qualifying as a navigating officer, he served in deep water merchant ships and Ocean Weather Ships until shortly before his marriage, when he joined the Trinity House Service, maintaining aids to navigation, including lighthouses, lightships, buoys and beacons around the British coast as an officer in the Corporation’s vessels. His history of Trinity House yachts and tenders won the Marine Society’s Barbara Harmer Award in 1978. Promoted to command in 1980, he had the first of his 14 Nathaniel Drinkwater stories published that year by John Murray.

After an active career in Trinity House during which he commanded the Corporation’s flagship ‘THV Patricia’, Richard retired in 1999. He was elected a Younger and then in 2006 an Elder Brother of Trinity House. As such, he has sat as a Nautical Assessor in the Admiralty Court. He was formerly Chairman of the National Historic Ships Committee and a Fellow of the Nautical Institute.

In 1994 Richard wrote the first of his prize-winning trilogy of convoy operations during the Second World War and has in all written 70 works of fiction and maritime history. He co-authored ‘Light Upon the Waters’ the Quincentennial official history of Trinity House and has written a two volume history of the East India Company’s Maritime Service. Richard was awarded the Merchant Navy medal in 2013 and appointed a Lieutenant in the Royal Victorian Order by HM The Queen in the New Year Honours of 2014.