Thread: Bring Flinders back to his spiritual country?

Originally Posted by JDNSW

Undoubtedly Flinders had a strong natural aptitude for navigation, but there is a wide gap between navigation and hydrographic mapping. Flinders certainly improved on Cook's mapping methods, but the standards and general methodology were inherited from Cook. Mapping a coastline in sail powered ships, navigating by sextant and chronometer, measuring water depths by leadline requires enormous effort, discipline, and meticulous adherence to planned methodology.

As an indication of his insight into navigational methods, Flinders was responsible for the "Flinders Bar", the first practical method of correction for soft iron in a ship. He was also an enthusiastic mapper - not a matter of skill but of attitude.

It is difficult to think of any other near contemporary who would have had the perseverance of Flinders to complete the mapping of the Australian coastline. To give examples of captains who were not up to it, a generation later were Pringle Stokes who suicided, and his successor as Captain of the Beagle, Fitzroy, who was so afraid of following his precedent that he took a young Charles Darwin on the second voyage of the Beagle to try and maintain his mental health. Then there is Owen Stanley, who died from illness that may have been suicide while mapping PNG - and was so afraid of the coast that his mapping was very substandard.

The story about Darwin and the Beagle, and Fitzroy, is fascinating. The fact that Darwin joined the expedition by default,& they took back a native of Diego del Fueago[ probably spelled that wrong] had the man marry his girlfriend before they left, to avoid problems with the randy crew, and the eventual outcome was the extinction of all the natives of that part of the World, thru introduced disease. It was also the cruise that Darwin made his reputation, from post graduate Uni student naturalist, to the author of his theory of evolution. Darwin was there by default, because all other more qualified naturalists declined. Also he must have been ruthless in his field, because he and the ships doctor, a LT McCormack , I think from memory, did not get on. In those days the ships doctor was considered the ships naturalist, and Darwin, thru his connection to Fitzroy, had the Doctor removed from the Beagle in Chile, I believe, thereby making any exciting discoveries entirely his. Fascinating.

Originally Posted by 4bee

Blimey John, an Explorer/Navigator who didn't like the coast? I wonder how he ever discovered anything as the coast with it's access to valleys & other inland impediments is synomonous to discovery.

His coastal mapping left a lot to be desired - but there are a lot of high mountains in PNG, which can be seen from a long way off (when not cloudy), so the overall structure of the island was mapped, but coastal detail remained very sketchy until it was mapped by aerial photography in WW2. And still had lots of errors when I was there around 1970.

Mind you, there were good reasons for his being wary of the coast - that patch of sea has a lot of reefs, has strong tidal currents, and the locals saw little distinction between strangers and their food supply.

if he was brought to australia, i would probably visit.
flinders is my one of my favorite Australian explorers.

[QUOTE=JDNSW;2877435]Undoubtedly Flinders had a strong natural aptitude for navigation, but there is a wide gap between navigation and hydrographic mapping. Flinders certainly improved on Cook's mapping methods, but the standards and general methodology were inherited from Cook. Mapping a coastline in sail powered ships, navigating by sextant and chronometer, measuring water depths by leadline requires enormous effort, discipline, and meticulous adherence to planned methodology.

As an indication of his insight into navigational methods, Flinders was responsible for the "Flinders Bar", the first practical method of correction for soft iron in a ship. He was also an enthusiastic mapper - not a matter of skill but of attitude.

It is difficult to think of any other near contemporary who would have had the perseverance of Flinders to complete the mapping of the Australian coastline. To give examples of captains who were not up to it, a generation later were Pringle Stokes who suicided, and his successor as Captain of the Beagle, Fitzroy, who was so afraid of following his precedent that he took a young Charles Darwin on the second voyage of the Beagle to try and maintain his mental health. Then there is Owen Stanley, who died from illness that may have been suicide while mapping PNG - and was so afraid of the coast that his mapping was very substandard.[/QUOTE

Ever sailed around the N. G. coast? even with an Admiralty Chart, you have to be on the ball. EG, AE 1.

You know, we should never assume, because... well you know the rest.

HMS Beagle - Wikipedia

Flinders is famous for sailing around the coast, so I reckon Flinders Beach on North Stradbroke Island would be a perfect spot for his remains, with a nice water view.

Ever sailed around the N. G. coast? even with an Admiralty Chart, you have to be on the ball. EG, AE 1.

Eeerr no not as such, but I did accompany my late BiL a Lt. Col attached to the PNGDF & the Chaplain also attached, to an Inlet, North (I think, as it was dusk) of Morseby to have dinner on board HMAS Curlew which was working in the area & was moored for the night.

Of course on the way back to the boat ramp it was pitch black & the tinny was leaking at the seams but we got back ok, obviously.
My concern was a stray Croc getting in the way, assuming there are Crocs in the area. Does that qualify? Probably not.

Originally Posted by bob10

Ever sailed around the N. G. coast? even with an Admiralty Chart, you have to be on the ball. EG, AE 1.

No, but at one stage I seriously considered doing so, to the extent of reading up and looking at the maps. Did a little bit of boating in some of the estuaries and rivers, and have flown a fair bit of the coastline.