The Port Phillip Pilot Service had its beginnings in the late 1830s whrn private operators guided ships through the notoriously dangerous waters off Port Phillip Heads and along the channels of the Bay. Its subsequent history has been one of drama and tragedy, as skilled pilots notwithstanding, a number of ships and lives have been lost in the treacherous seas around the Bay entrance. Today ships of all shapes, sizes and nationalities are guided safely by the pilots into what is now one of the world's major ports...