Thread: Exploration maps & charts, discovery of Australia by sea

i love looking at these old maps.

Hopefully you will like these, Bob


Exploration Maps and Charts -- Discovery of Australia by Land

I also love old maps ,and logs and journals. A compass ,sextant, watch ,chain measure, theodolite, sense and guts. Men and women we should be proud of and honour more.

Dave

It's amazing how they did it, not having GPS , Satnav etc that we take for granted nowadays.

James Cook rose to master in the RN by reason of his mapping skills, and was given the command of the "Transit of Venus" expedition for the same reason. He has been described as the first captain who always knew where he was.

He was competent at calculating lines of position from lunar departures (remember there were no tables then) and became the first explorer to carry and use chronometers.

Further, all of the following late eighteenth and early nineteenth century explorers and hydrographers that followed him either trained under Cook or under officers that were trained by Cook. He established the hydrographic standards that led to British charts becoming the navigational standard of the world, and hence ultimately to the longitude of Greenwich becoming the standard starting point for the world. (Helped by the British decision at about Cook's time that making charts freely available was the thing to do to help British interests - most countries at that time and for decades after regarded hydrographic charts as state secrets.)

John

To me they were the true explorer they had no idea of what lied ahead. No prior data nothing. And it was not only Australia where this happened. They were brave men. Motivated buy different things. For one having delivered a Boat from Portfairy to fremantle. Amongst others l am happy the charts exist. As for crew two of us. Another great read is spinifex and sand. I read that on a desert trip.

Originally Posted by JDNSW

James Cook rose to master in the RN by reason of his mapping skills, and was given the command of the "Transit of Venus" expedition for the same reason. He has been described as the first captain who always knew where he was.

He was competent at calculating lines of position from lunar departures (remember there were no tables then) and became the first explorer to carry and use chronometers.

Further, all of the following late eighteenth and early nineteenth century explorers and hydrographers that followed him either trained under Cook or under officers that were trained by Cook. He established the hydrographic standards that led to British charts becoming the navigational standard of the world, and hence ultimately to the longitude of Greenwich becoming the standard starting point for the world. (Helped by the British decision at about Cook's time that making charts freely available was the thing to do to help British interests - most countries at that time and for decades after regarded hydrographic charts as state secrets.)

John

You may like this book. [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Journals-Captain-Cook-Penguin-Classics/dp/0140436472"]The Journals of Captain Cook (Penguin Classics): James R. Cook: 9780140436471: Amazon.com: Books@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51gaGe1nlKL.@@AMEPARAM@@51gaGe1nlKL[/ame] I just finished it and it gives a great insight into how he navigated and how chronometers revolutionised the way he calculated their position

Originally Posted by JDNSW

Further, all of the following late eighteenth and early nineteenth century explorers and hydrographers that followed him either trained under Cook or under officers that were trained by Cook.

Captain (later Vice Admiral) William Bligh was one of those who trained under Cook if memory serves. He was no slouch either! 😀


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