NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Paper by Bill and Merri Carter
From: Richard B. Langley
Date: 2010 Nov 22, 15:12 -0400
From: Richard B. Langley
Date: 2010 Nov 22, 15:12 -0400
RIN members might want to be on the lookout for a paper in the latest issue of The Journal of Navigation: http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=7896219 Title and abstract: The Age of Sail: A Time when the Fortunes of Nations and Lives of Seamen Literally Turned with the Winds Their Ships Encountered at Sea This paper examines the evidence to support the view that the inability of seamen to determine accurate longitude at sea in sailing ships was a major factor in the loss of ships and crews that was effectively solved by the introduction of the marine chronometer. It concludes that this was not the case and that a more compelling factor for the safety of ships was the introduction of mechanical propulsion systems. -- Richard Langley P.S. Sorry if this paper has been discussed before but I didn't find mention of it while searching the list archives. =============================================================================== Richard B. Langley E-mail: lang@unb.ca Geodetic Research Laboratory Web: http://www.unb.ca/GGE/ Dept. of Geodesy and Geomatics Engineering Phone: +1 506 453-5142 University of New Brunswick Fax: +1 506 453-4943 Fredericton, N.B., Canada E3B 5A3 Fredericton? Where's that? See: http://www.city.fredericton.nb.ca/ ===============================================================================