NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Another Navigation Meeting
From: Wolfgang Köberer
Date: 2010 May 16, 16:25 +0200
From: Wolfgang Köberer
Date: 2010 May 16, 16:25 +0200
Dear
all,
George
has asked me to report on the other Navigation conference which took place on
this side of the Atlantic. As he had informed you weeks ago, the National
Maritime Museum in Greenwich held a 2 day symposium on the the History of
Navigation "A Sense of Direction"on the 6th and 7th of May. This was a joint
affair of the museum with the Royal Institute of Navigation and about 70 people
attended from 7 countries (from Norway all the way down to Portugal). A handful
of list members was there, too.
I am
attaching the abstracts of the talks. The scope of contributions was restricted
to the time span between about 500 BC and 1900 AD. As the people from the
RIN were coming mostly from air navigation they will probably extend the scope
for the next conference.
I
found the talks by Dr. Leitao, Nicolàs de Hilster Ted Gerrard and George most
fascinating. Also the report by Olivier Sauzereau abou the network of marine
observatories in France erected to check the chronometers of the French navy in
their home ports so they would not have to be transported to the Paris
observatory and back. Most of these observatories have disappeared by now and
Olivier Sauzereau has dug up their history which has almost been forgotten.
Nicolàs de Hilsters contribution about the early development of the Davis
quadrant will be published in the Bulletin of the Scientific Instrument Society
and I can only recommend to get a copy of that if you are interested in early
altitude measuring instruments.
On
this occasion the NMM gave the delegates a chance to have a close look
at some of their treasures: at first we were let into the workroom in the
observatory where Jonathan Betts is starting the current conservation work on
"H2". It is still ticking away before being dismantled and Jonathan Betts gave
us a spontaneous lecture on the time keeper and its history showing us, for
instance, where Rupert T. Gould had drilled a hole into it while reassembling it
for the second time. We then had the chance to put our (gloved) hands on an
astrolabe, a cross staff, a Davis quadrant and assorted other
instruments.
As it
seems to have been a success, the RIN and the NMM are thinking about a
continuation. If a new conference comes up I trust that George will inform you
again.
Regards
Wolfgang
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