Navigation and Seamanship

 

1.1.2. History of Navigation

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

 

         The earliest form of navigation probably was piloting; the determination of position relative to land marks, natural or manmade. When man became brave enough to venture out of sight of objects, a new form of navigation was born dead reckoning. Although it is known that ancient sea faring peoples made long voyages, many of which were far out of sight of land; their methods and tools remain uncertain.

            In about 350 B.C. a Greek ship sailed to what is now the British Isles and back again. Greeks, Egyptians and Phoenicians sailed back and forth across the Mediterranean Sea because of their wars and trading voyages. They had some knowledge of positional astronomy of tides, waves, winds and currents in various areas and within sight of land, knowledge of land marks.

           The earliest compass was the wind, waves, sun or other celestial body or perhaps the flight of birds. Many attempts to develop means of determining more accurately the direction of the craft. Thus, the magnetic compass was among the earliest instruments provided to the navigator. The first recorded use of a chart aboard a ship was in 1270 A.D. By the time Magellan began in voyage around the world in 1519, the quadrant (fore runner of the sextant), globes of the world, and magnetic compass were in use and later log was adapted to determine speed.

            Although it was possible to determine latitude by measuring the altitude of a celestial body, no method was known to early navigators to determine longitude. Because of this, ships commonly sailed north or south from their point of departure until the latitude of their destination was reached. They then sailed east or west until they arrived at their destination.