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The Navigation Equipment Area will
introduce all kinds of maritime navigation tools
used throughout history to help you understand how
sailors use instruments and the stars to sail across
the sea. At the same time we can use the latest
communication equipment to speak with the captain
of ships away at sea! |
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| Period |
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The compass was the earliest navigation instrument
to enter service and its precise origins are now
lost in the mists of time. |
| Feature |
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When the compass is used it must be adjusted for
magnetic error. The error is rather complicated
to determine, varying according to time, location
and direction. |
| Manufacture |
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Depending on their structure, magnetic compasses
can be classified as platform, table, portable or
reflective. |
| Operation |
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Using a freely suspended magnet's tendency to
point north under the influence of the earth's magnetic
field, this provides a basis for determining the
ship's direction or the bearing of a landmark. |
| Influence |
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In widespread usage in modern shipping. |
| Period |
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Around 1757 AD. |
| Feature |
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The sextant can measure the full range of 360
with good accuracy. It is however cumbersome to
use and very inconvenient at sea. |
| Manufacture |
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An improved version of the Octant, it extended
the range of measurements to 120 |
| Operation |
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Use aboard the ship to measure the height of the
sun or stars in order
to determine the ship's geographic position. |
| Influence |
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The sextant provided a significant increase in
accuracy over the
astrolabe and diptych. |
18th Century Maritime Chronometer |
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| Period |
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Around 1757 AD. |
| Feature |
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One for seconds, one for minutes and the other
for hours. |
| Manufacture |
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In England Yorkshire carpenter turned clockmaker
John Harrison built an accurate timekeeping device
called the chronometer based on clockwork principles. |
| Operation |
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Sailors determined how far east or west they had
sailed and their longitude by comparing the time
the sun reached its apex with midday
at their homeport. Accurate timekeeping is critical
for navigation at sea. This device was powered by
a wind-up spring, had a balance wheel and three
faces with one for seconds, one for minutes and
the other for
hours. |
| Influence |
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After several years of testing at sea, it was
discovered to be accurate to within 30 seconds over
a year even if its ship was subjected to severe
weather conditions. |
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