SHE IS WAIFU
Composition of navigational instruments: Jacob’s staff / Cross Staff, Nocturnal, Portuguese compass, Hourglass, early 18th century
// Recently visited a reconstructed ship from the 1600’s. Apparently this is how navigation worked before log books. They’d use the board to mark the compass direction. Anyone else have more information?
Maybe i can help you, what you have there is a traverse board.
These boards were used in northern Europe by the 16th century to keep a record of a ship’s movements. They were circular and had a series of holes along lines marking the 32 points of the compass. Pegs were attached to the board by string and placed in the correct hole for the course being steered, normally one hole for each half hour of the watch, as measured by a sand-glass. At the end of each watch the records were written down and later transmitted in the log book, usually by the ship’s master, and the pegs pulled out ready for the next watch. The circular section of this traverse board has eight holes along each compass point. Later versions, also had a series of holes along the bottom to record the ship’s speed, which was measured with a log and line.
A scrimshawed whale bone pocket globe with compass and sundial inside, (parts of it have been restored), 19th century
A so called noon gun, a sundial with compass and a small cannon,
its maker is unknown, c.1800
This has been very popular since the 18th century, combined with a cannon and a burning glass, is set so that when the sun reaches its highest point at noon, a charge of gunpowder is ignited by the bundled rays of the sun, so that a loud bang sounds. Larger examples were used in dockyards and army quarters to indicate lunchtime.
Crown/ Admirals/ Hanging/ Tell tale compass, by
Berendt Burmester, Lübeck 1735
This beautiful tell tale compass is special because inside is the figure of a knight, the glass itself is inscribed with the ship’s name Freja and Aarhus.