The inspiring story of Jacobsen Pilot Service begins in 1908, when 18-year-old Jacob Jacobsen boarded a ship in Norway, bound to New York, and worked his way to Seattle, where he quickly became a deckhand for a Puget Sound stern-wheeler.
Soon after, he headed out on a Gloucester schooner to fish in Alaska, then worked the waters of the Aleutian Islands before eventually becoming the Captain of a whaling ship.
By age 24, Jacob had sailed all kinds of ships, in all types of seas, and signed up to serve in the US Navy. After traveling the world’s oceans for 15 years, he founded J. A. Jacobsen & Company in 1924 in the Port of Long Beach—the first incarnation of what is now Jacobsen Pilot Service.
For both the Jacobsen Company and the Port, growth was slow and steady during the Great Depression. Throughout the 1930s, an extension of the breakwater was approved, Long Beach built a large Navy landing, the first transit shed in the outer harbor was completed, and the first oil wells within the Harbor District were drilled. All of these developments would have a positive influence on Jacob Jacobsen and his company’s expansion plans.
In 1943, the Navy hired J. A. Jacobsen to run the Navy pilot service in Long Beach. Four years later, a pilot station was built on the tip of Pier A, and Jacobsen was contracted to provide pilotage—with just one dispatcher, one boat operator, and five ship pilots.
Jacob came up with a bold idea: the use of new radar technologies to help minimize the risks of navigating at night and in fog. Its installation in Long Beach Harbor was the first anywhere in the Western Hemisphere. Coupled with his introduction of a new Port Traffic Plan, Jacob became known as one of the maritime world’s leading innovators.
In 1952, Jacob’s son, Richard “Dick” Jacobsen, graduated from the California Maritime Academy. He too became an officer in the Navy before joining the firm in 1958. Dick joined at a pivotal time. A major change was happening within the shipping industry: new cargo containers were drastically increasing the volume of goods moving through the ports.
By the early 1960s, Asian economies began to rapidly modernize. Japan started to ship the first imported automobiles. By the 1970s, Taiwan and South Korea sent cargo ships loaded with clothing, toys, and electronics headed for American shores.
In 1962, Dick became CEO, and incorporated the business. JPS pilots became shareholders, giving them a vested interest in the future of the company.
After a new Long Beach Pilot Station was built, Dick made sure to support it with the most advanced technologies and rigorous training programs possible. In doing so, he laid the foundation for a thriving maritime culture that continues to this day.
In 1998, Dick’s son, Thomas, became president of the company. Tom had previously graduated from the California Maritime Academy and sailed on various cargo ships around the world, achieving his Unlimited Masters License and Unlimited Pilotage License.
By 2000, Tom had been honored at the World Trade Hall of Fame and, one year later, Jacobsen Pilot Service became ISO-certified—one of only four pilot groups in the world to do so.
In 2006, Tom became CEO. He has since overseen the company through continuous growth, advancements, and expansions in the Port of Long Beach.
Over the years, Jacobsen Pilot Service has been instrumental in developing and implementing state-of-the-art technology routinely used in daily piloting operations—from shore-based radars and highly accurate range lights to high-precision carry-aboard Differential Global Positioning System.
Jacobsen Pilot Service is also deeply involved in the local Vessel Traffic System, a unique partnership between private, non-profit, city government, and federal government.
To this day, Tom Jacobsen continues the legacy of his father and grandfather, having served in upper-level positions for the Marine Exchange of Los Angeles and Long Beach, the FuturePorts Association, the Propeller Club, the Harbor Association of Industry and Commerce, the Long Beach Pilot Advisory Committee, and the Marine Board.
Today, Jacobsen Pilot Service shows no signs of slowing down as The Port of Long Beach looks ahead to a potential new wind turbine facility and a $1.5B Pier B rail project to follow.
For 100 years, Jacobsen Pilot Service has served the Port of Long Beach with innovation and distinction. And while their legacy and reputation are unmatched in the pilotage industry, all signs indicate the course ahead is only just beginning.
