UAE | General

Former harbour master and maritime expert dies

A former Dubai harbour master has died in his sleep at the age of 87.

  • By Kevin Scott, Staff Reporter
  • Published: 23:35 November 24, 2008
  • Gulf News

  • Captain Bill Nelson is pictured in his home in Dubai. He moved back to Scotland five weeks ago after being diagnosed with a stomach ulcer.
  • Image Credit: Vazhisojan/Gulf News

Dubai: A former Dubai harbour master has died in his sleep at the age of 87.

Captain Bill Nelson, who passed on his maritime expertise to the city for over three decades, passed away at his home in Edinburgh, Scotland on Friday evening.

Captain Nelson arrived in Dubai in 1975 as marine advisor to the late Shaikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum and was responsible for setting up a port management system for the Creek including a radio station to facilitate communication between vessels.

Dubai was home

He moved on to become Harbour Master for the Creek; a role which involved managing the establishment of sea lights and buoys around the waters of Dubai. He also worked on the Palm Jumeirah and Palm Jebel Ali projects.

Captain Nelson lived with his wife Dorothy in Dubai for over thirty years in various different locations of the city. But he moved back to Scotland only five weeks ago after being diagnosed with a serious stomach ulcer.

Norman Turnbull, a close friend, told Gulf News on Monday: "Dorothy helped put Bill to bed on Friday evening and he died peacefully in his sleep."

Frank O'Brien, another close friend, added: "I spoke to both Bill and Dorothy on Friday. Bill seemed in fine form; he was complaining about the freezing weather in Scotland but he commented on the opening of Atlantis, which he had seen on TV."

Captain Nelson spent his entire life on the open seas, joining the Royal Navy during the Second World War. He also served in Malta at the same time Prince Philip was working there as a Royal Navy officer in the 1950s, a posting he told Gulf News in the summer that he particularly enjoyed.

He joined the Kuwait Shipping Company, now called the United Arab Shipping Company, in 1955 where he worked for many years before moving to Dubai.

Captain Nelson, who leaves behind two daughters and a son, also served as chaplain of the Dubai-based Mission to Seafarers for many years.

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