Astrolabes

[Capn_Enigma]

In his excellent book "Batavia's Graveyard", Mike Dash writes what sorts of nautical instruments a mid- 17th century Dutch East- Indiaman would have on board:

"A VOC [Verenigde Oost- indische Compagnie, the Dutch East- India Company] equipment list suggests that a wide variety of instruments would have been carried for the use of the skipper and the upper steersman. The manifest includes three round astrolabes, two semicircular astrolabes, a pair of astrolabe catholicum (the 'universal astrolabe', used for problems of spherical geometry), a dozen pair of compasses, four Jacob's Staffs, four Davis's Quadrants and many charts and manuals.

The astrolabe, which was perfected by the Portuguese, was the most primitive of the three principal navigational tools. The Batavia carried at least four - the number that have been recovered from the wreck site. Almost certainly Ariaen Jacobsz [Batavia's skipper] would have taken another one with him in the longboat for his voyage to Java."