NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Re: sextant without paper charts
From: Frank Reed
Date: 2008 Oct 31, 00:34 -0400
From: Frank Reed
Date: 2008 Oct 31, 00:34 -0400
Lu wrote, "Given that space on a submarine is at a premium and that all six volumes (which it would need to carry) take up more space than is allocated to the average enlisted sailor for all his personal belongings, I had to wonder why one would do that" Scott, you replied: "This is just NOT TRUE. You actually might be surprised how much room submarine sailors have for their personal belongings when compared to the actual space consumed by HO229. I grant it's not a lot but more than your claim above. They actually have significantly more room than what is required to store HO229. Clearly, HO229 may take up a lot of room on your small sailboat but on a ship or submarine there is enough room to carry all the paper publications and charts that a submarine might need for any voyage. Have you ever been on a nuclear powered submarine? Somehow I doubt it." I have been aboard a nuclear submarine (when I was a kid, as a guest of a friend's dad), and there's plenty of spare space for sight reduction tables, even on an attack sub. Of course, space is still something that you don't want to waste, so to me it would make sense to teach the tables in the Nautical Almanac, rather than HO229, for that very improbable emergency --but definitely possible emergency-- where you need to navigate by sextant and stars. Hey, I've got a question regarding naval practice with respect to celestial navigation: when are they required to carry the almanac for the following year? A nuclear sub can remain at sea for a very long time and in war-time, it wouldn't be too hard to imagine staying away so long that you run past December 31st. Is there a rule? And you added: "I believe I did include calculators but..." Yes, you did. 'Nuff said. -FER --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Navigation List archive: www.fer3.com/arc To post, email NavList@fer3.com To , email NavList-@fer3.com -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---