Telling the Time
Early oceanic travellers used a sandglass to tell the time. They had to keep a very close eye on this because if the sand filtered through and they didn't turn it back over immediately, they would automatically lose track of time. A sailor had to watch it all of the time! With scientific improvements in the 15th and 16th centuries, reasonably accurate time-telling aids began to be produced. These could often only be used in the specific latitude for which they were made, which often gives us an idea of where they were produced and where they were used. During the day, instruments could work with the Sun's rays to produce readings, much like a sundial. Instruments such as the diptych dial, the Augsburg dial (so-called because it originated in Augsburg, Southern Germany) and the equinoctial dial relied on this concept. Many became fashionable accessories of the wealthy classes as well as practical maritime aids. #SUBHEADING# Reading the Sun and Stars #SUBHEADINGEND# Diptych and Augsburg dials were small pocket-sized instruments. The former were often decorated with hand painted paper pictures of flowers and garlands, and the latter engraved with various patterns. Both types were mainly produced in southern Germany, often by renowned craftsmen who signed their name to their works. They relied on the sun shining on a 'gnomon'(or type of rod). This cast a shadow onto an hour dial so the reader could tell the time. The Augsburg dial shown here lists various cities in Germany, as well as Paris, Rome and London, on the underside of the dial. This shows that the dial was intended for the German market but could be used at various latitudes across Europe. The equinoctial dial could be used anywhere in the world so was very useful at sea. This example was made in London by Richard Glynne who worked as a mathematical instrument maker from the early 18th century. Its shape represents the Earth. A sailor would suspend the dial and turn it until the Sun shone through the hole in the cursor. This cast a ray of light onto the hour ring and showed him the time. At night there was no Sun available to aid readings. The 'nocturnal' enabled sailors to overcome this problem. This instrument could instead be used by viewing the Great Bear and Little Bear star constellations through its centre and adjusting a number of dials to the appropriate positions. #SUBHEADING# Mechanical Inventions #SUBHEADINGEND# From the 18th century, the invention of mechanical clocks began to take over from more manual aids. These gave much more accurate readings and required less skill to read. A local joiner from Barton-upon-Humber, John Harrison, was the first person to make a clock which could cope with the movement, bad weather conditions and changing time zones at sea. He did this in the early 18th century and it was a breakthrough for sailors. For the first time ever they could calculate their longitude (their position East or West on the Earth).
Hull and the Whaling Industry
At its height Hull could boast one of the largest and most successful whaling fleets in Britain. Discover how it all began, how the whalers' braved arctic conditions to catch their whales and how the introduction of steam powered vessels signalled a decline for the Hull whaler.
Detecting Direction
Today sailors use electrical equipment to find their position at sea but sailors of the past relied on simple navigation tecniques to travel the worlds oceans. Find out how they used compasses to detect their direction.
Locating Location
Today sailors use electrical equipment to find their position at sea but sailors of the past relied on simple navigation tecniques to travel the worlds oceans. Discover how they relied on the skies to map their location.
