JohnnyTarr Posted July 19, 2006 Share Posted July 19, 2006 It seems to me that one of the most important items on a ship was charts. Of course a few people sailed into the unknown without them. My question is what was the accuracy of the maps of the GAoP and what tools did a cartographer need to make a map? This goes with the Navigation thread that I have seen and I am keeping a good eye on that one too. Git up of your asses, set up those glasses I'm drinking this place dry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim hawkins Posted July 19, 2006 Share Posted July 19, 2006 The short version is, the charts were terrible! They get much better after ~1760s with the invention of shipboard chronometers so that longitude could be determined at sea. Book recomendation: Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time by Dava Sobel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackjohn Posted July 19, 2006 Share Posted July 19, 2006 The short version is, the charts are terrible, and they get worse with the invention of dGPS in the 1990s. My Home on the Web The Pirate Brethren Gallery Dreams are the glue that holds reality together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Themarko Posted July 19, 2006 Share Posted July 19, 2006 Now that is the TRUTH blackjohn! Other book recommendation The Mapmakers by John Noble Wilford http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/039475303...glance&n=283155 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capn_Enigma Posted July 19, 2006 Share Posted July 19, 2006 The short version is, the charts were terrible, yet stylish to the extreme! "The floggings will continue until morale improves!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coastie04 Posted July 19, 2006 Share Posted July 19, 2006 Another recommended read is "Sea of Glory" by Nathaniel Philbrick. It's much later than the GAoP, and 'revolutionary new techniques' were being used, but it describes the charting process and what needed to be done in order to get accurate charts (for the day). Coastie She was bigger and faster when under full sail With a gale on the beam and the seas o'er the rail Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Jim Posted July 19, 2006 Share Posted July 19, 2006 If you look at the charts of that time you will find that they are fairly accurate north-to-south and not worth a damn east-to-west. This is because they could measure ocean distance n/s using the sun but accurate e/w had to wait until the invention of a reliable chronograph. This did in no way stop them, as the method of navigation was to travel n/s to the correct lattitude and then sail e/w until you ran into your destination. Always keep a sharp lookout when using this method. My occupational hazard bein' my occupation's just not around... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim hawkins Posted July 20, 2006 Share Posted July 20, 2006 The short version is, the charts were terrible, yet stylish to the extreme! True and I've tried putting some sea serpents or 'here be monsters' notes on modern charts but my bosses are never willing to go for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackjohn Posted July 20, 2006 Share Posted July 20, 2006 The short version is, the charts were terrible, yet stylish to the extreme! True and I've tried putting some sea serpents or 'here be monsters' notes on modern charts but my bosses are never willing to go for it. I once tried to keep them from removing these cool shaded relief contours from a chart. Got shot down of course. My Home on the Web The Pirate Brethren Gallery Dreams are the glue that holds reality together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackjohn Posted July 20, 2006 Share Posted July 20, 2006 Now that is the TRUTH blackjohn! And I still have people tell me how much they love our charts. And how if they didn't have such and such a chart they probably wouldn't be here, etc. It's like I say, "it's just a model of reality. Not reality." My Home on the Web The Pirate Brethren Gallery Dreams are the glue that holds reality together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Jim-sib Posted July 20, 2006 Share Posted July 20, 2006 Kinda interesting, though without the accuracy of longitude, that early theories concerning continental drift came about in the mid-1600's. Once both sides of the Atlantic had been mapped, the "jig saw" fit was observed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Themarko Posted July 24, 2006 Share Posted July 24, 2006 I like how much people trust my 'model of reality' because I used a computer to make it. And by dang if that hillshade doesn't make it look it so good they don't even ask about the all important details. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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