Overview

Today travellers by land, sea and air take accurate navigation for granted but it was not always thus. The author, a highly experienced sailor, sets out to record the development of navigational techniques from the earliest time, five millenniums ago. As explorers started to venture offshore into the unknown they had to rely on the sun and stars for direction. From this pioneers turned to mathematics, astrolobes, sextants and increasing accurate clocks to measure latitude and later longitude. More recently major breakthroughs with electronic navigation, GPS and other satellite systems have revolutionised travel. Focusing primarily but not exclusively on marine navigation, the author weaves a fascinating course through the successes and failures of mankind's quest to explore his world... AUTHOR: Dag Pike first went to sea aged 16 on tramp ships and experienced his first shipwreck two years later. He became the youngest Trinity House lighthouse tender captain aged 29\. He went to become an Inspector of Lifeboats responsible for some 50 RNLI stations. He has participated in six Atlantic record attempts and, as a member of the Italian Destriero project, made the fastest crossing averaging over 53 knots. Dag has written over 40 books and contributes regularly to marine magazines worldwide. His most recent Taming the Atlantic (Pen and Sword Maritime 2017) draws on his extensive experience. He lives at Bristol. 60 b/w images

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9781526731692

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The History of Navigation presents a concise overview of navigation at sea. Pike, a maritime writer with a lengthy maritime career, examines many aspects of ocean travel, including weather, oceanography, charting, routing, and buoyage, as well as various methods for marine navigation, such as celestial, electronic, terrestrial, and satellite. While the text offers a strong introduction to each of these topics, a reader seeking more detail will need to consult tomes such as Nathaniel Bowditch's The American Practical Navigator. Pike's effort combines aspects of history and navigation technology from the era of sailing ships to the modern day. The book's index is thorough, but inclusion of a reference section would have been helpful for a reader looking for additional resources. An overview of maritime resource management--a safety training program for maritime personnel--and coverage of Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems in the chapter on The Human Element would have enhanced this book's utility. Overall, this is a useful introductory volume for maritime studies and nautical science programs. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates and two-year technical program students; general readers and professionals. --CHOICE

Author Information

Dag Pike first went to sea aged 16 on tramp ships and experienced his first shipwreck two years later. He became the youngest Trinity House lighthouse tender captain aged 29\. He went to become an Inspector of Lifeboats responsible for some 50 RNLI stations. He has participated in six Atlantic record attempts and, as a member of the Italian Destriero project, made the fastest crossing averaging over 53 knots. Dag has written over 40 books and contributes regularly to marine magazines worldwide. His most recent Taming the Atlantic (Pen and Sword Maritime 2017) draws on his extensive experience. He lives at Bristol.

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