From Cachalots Web Site

Patrick O’Sullivan, affectionately known as Paddy to his friends and shipmates, passed away on 3rd March 2015 at the age of 68. He was laid to rest in his home village of Verwood.

Born in 1946, Paddy began his maritime career in 1966 as a Cadet with British & Commonwealth, earning all his certificates at Warsash and rising to the rank of 2nd Officer by 1982. During this time, he sailed on both the cargo vessels of Clan Line and the passenger ships of Union-Castle, including the cruise ship Reina Del Mar.

In 1983, he joined the BT cableships based at Southampton’s 203 berth as Navigating Officer. Over the years, through the company’s transitions from BTI Marine Services, BT (Marine), Cable & Wireless Marine, to Global Marine, Paddy advanced steadily. He gained extensive cable-laying experience, serving as a ship’s deck officer, Offshore Superintendent on chartered vessels, beach master for shore end operations in various exotic locations, and ultimately as Relief Master.

Paddy retired early in 2002 following a financial downturn at Global Marine. I had the privilege of sailing with him briefly before going ashore and later reconnected during cable projects, reunions, and the Sea Pie Supper. Despite his small stature, Paddy’s presence was always commanding, fueled by what seemed like boundless energy.

I gathered some reflections from mutual friends that perfectly capture Paddy’s character:

“I knew Paddy from his early days at BT. Though small in size, he had a big voice and was a consummate professional and gentleman. He took good-natured ribbing about his stature but always with a smile and a clever comeback. He was a valuable asset to any company, and I enjoyed sailing with him many times. Paddy particularly enjoyed beach shore end work, completing projects such as the shore ends for Turkey Domestic and another system in the Caribbean. He worked well with all kinds of people and always got the best out of them. In summary, he was a popular, capable officer and a true friend who will be deeply missed.”

“Paddy served as Chief Officer with me on the Sir Eric Sharp in Bermuda from 1998 to 2000. During that period, we laid and maintained cables throughout the Caribbean. On one occasion, Paddy managed to convert a local landing craft into a mini cableship to repair a cable over the reef at San Juan, Puerto Rico.”

For me personally, Paddy was a true pleasure to know—one of life’s unforgettable characters.

— Barry Peck