O. M. Watts Explained
| Oswald Martin Watts |
| Birth Date: | 18 March 1901 |
| Birth Place: | Streatham, London, United Kingdom |
| Nationality: | British |
| Occupation: | Master mariner, ships chandler, author, yacht designer |
| Known For: | Captain O M Watts chandlery and brokerage |
Oswald Martin Watts, FRAS, FIN[1] (18 March 1901 – 1 November 1985) was a master mariner and nautical author who founded the ship chandlers and yacht brokerage Captain O. M. Watts. He had a large showroom and mail order department at 49 Albemarle Street, London W1
Early life and family
Oswald Watts was born in Streatham on 18 March 1901[2] to Alfred Ernest Watts, a chartered accountant, and his wife Lilian.[3]
Career
Watts was a master mariner and nautical author who founded the ship chandlers and yacht brokerage Captain O. M. Watts.[4] [5] During the Second World War and before Watts trained a large number of sailors to their then Yacht Master's (Coastal) certificate.[6] He was also a yacht designer.[7]
In 1965, the BBC weather forecasts for coastal waters were introduced as a result of strong representations on the part of Capt O M Watts, Vice Commodore City Livery Yacht Club, and an editor of ‘Reed’s Nautical Almanac’, together with support from other notable sailors including Senior Rear Commodore Capt W H Coombs, CBE RNR, one of the Younger Brethren of Trinity House.
Personal life and death
Watts lived in Norbury, London, SW16 and died on 1 November 1985.[8] [2] He was married and had a daughter.
Watts was commodore of the City Livery Yacht Club from 1966 to 1980.[9]
Selected publications
- Lockwood's Manuals. Ship Stability & Trim Made Easy Including The Construction And Use Of Tipping . Scale And Slip Table, Etc. Published 1 January 1926 by Crosby Lockwood & Son
- The Sextant Simplified A Practical Explanation of the Use of the Sextant at Sea, Published 1 January 1973 by Thomas Reed Publications
- Coastal & Ocean Seamanship, (Ed.) Thomas Reed Publications, 1971
- Log Book for Yachts (Ed.)
- Practical Shipmasters' Business, Published 1 January 1927 by Imray
- Hints to Up-to-date Navigators, published 1 January 1927 by Crosby Lockwood
- Practical Cargo Stowage for Ships' Officers Captain H. H. Bridger and Captain O. M. Watts, Published by Imray, Laurie, Norie and Wilson Ltd, 123 Minories, London, 1930
- Stanford's Coloured Chart of the English Channel from the Goodwins to Selsey Bill Watts, Captain O.M., Published by Edward Stanford, London (20-22 Maddox Street, Mayfair address)
As editor
- Reed's Nautical Almanac[10]
External links
Notes and References
- Book: Coastal & Ocean Seamanship . 978-0901281265. Thomas Reed Publications. 1971. frontispiece.
- Web site: FamilySearch: Sign In. subscription.
- Web site: FamilySearch: Sign In. subscription.
- Book: McKay, Sinclair. Dunkirk: From Disaster to Deliverance - Testimonies of the Last Survivors. September 18, 2014. Aurum Press. 9781781313848. Google Books.
- News: Bell . Bethany . 'I've come to rescue you': My grandfather at Dunkirk . 2 October 2020 . BBC News . 12 August 2017.
- Book: Sharp . Nigel . Troubled Waters: Leisure Boating and the Second World War . 15 October 2015 . Amberley Publishing . 978-1445651606 . 2 October 2020.
- Web site: Enter 'Watts in the search box . Yacht designs database . National Maritime Museum - Yacht designs database . . 4 October 2020.
- Web site: 1986. 2020-10-02. probatesearch.service.gov.uk. 8727.
- Web site: About Us CLYC. 2020-10-04. City Livery Yacht Club. en-US.
- Web site: Captain William Harry Coombs 1893–1969. 9. navandgen.zurich.co.uk. 3 October 2020.
