Professor Kemp1 has revisited the circumstances in which the Princess Alice crossed ahead of, and was run down by, the oncoming Bywell Castle in 1878. This note focuses on the seamanship of the manoeuvre made by the Bywell Castle in the agony of the moment before collision. This manoeuvre was judged to be wrong at the time. The note concludes by considering how this manoeuvre would be judged today in the light of the seamanship required by Rule 17 of Colregs 1972 and draws attention to proposals made by Captain Phillip Colomb to the Thames Traffic Committee in 1879.

This paper presents a practical application of the probabilistic-fuzzy method for assessment of the safety of a ship manoeuvring in waterways. The method, based on probabilistic risk analysis and elements of fuzzy logic, takes into account situations of threatened navigational safety and situations when a navigator intuitively thinks that the safety of manoeuvring ship is threatened. The probability of grounding a ship manoeuvring in a waterway bend is determined by means of simulation method. Then, with the use of experts' knowledge and tools of fuzzy logic the probability of a dangerous situation is determined. Two different approaches are applied for the determination of that probability. The results are compared.