NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Re: Moby Dick Tales
From: Don Seltzer
Date: 2019 Jan 10, 10:46 -0500
From: Don Seltzer
Date: 2019 Jan 10, 10:46 -0500
On Thu, Jan 10, 2019 at 1:02 AM John D. Howard <NoReply_Howard@fer3.com> wrote:
I seem to remember that Melvile was a crew member on a whale ship but I don't think he was a ship's officer. So knowing about the working of the ship makes sense but navigation seems to be a close secret for the officers - you cannot mutiny with out knowing navigation!
Melville's time at sea aboard a whaler and then a short stint in the USN aboard the frigate United States was strictly as a forecastle hand. No quarterdeck privileges for him. The closest he would have come to navigation is in assisting in casting the log.
Don Seltzer
