The Centennial of Pressure Pattern Navigation
(See Page 309, March 1948 Proceedings)
Lieutenant Wilson L. Heflin U. S. Naval Reserve (Inactive).—A persistent error, whether perpetuated by misstatement, inference, or omission of facts, occurs in most studies of the development of Lieutenant Matthew Fontaine Maury’s wind and current charts, and Lieutenant Commander Lyman’s interesting article in your March issue, “The Centennial of Pressure-Pattern Navigation”, is no exception to the rule.
The usual story goes something like this: Although Maury had appealed to American shipmasters for data, through a circular addressed by the Chief of the Bureau of Ordnance and Hydrography in 1842, not a single response came from the Merchant Marine until 1851. The picture is painted of a Maury persevering under discouraging conditions, and the inference is made that such publications as Maury issued before 1851 were based entirely upon data furnished in logs of vessels of the United States Navy.
That such a conclusion is incorrect is amply documented by the official letters of the Naval Observatory in the Naval Records Collection and by the extensive collection of Maury Abstract Logs in the Weather Bureau Records, both of which collections are now in the National Archives. These records reveal a hitherto unrecognized fruitful source of information for Maury’s researches and demonstrate that instead of being patient in the face of a discouraging lack of materials, Maury was resourceful in getting needed data and active in using it.
Up to the time when the Track Charts were issued, Maury had adequate data, but when he undertook a study of the winds, currents, and other phenomena in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, his sources of information, as he admitted in a letter dated December 22, 1847, were “very dry.” He particularly wanted the unique kind of information which he could get only from the logbooks of whaleships, which often cruised for months at a time in a very limited area and which visited unfrequented parts of the oceans. He also desired data on the voyages of packet ships and China traders.
To get this much needed information he enlisted, in 1848, the aid of the versatile and wealthy Captain R. B. Forbes of Boston. Captain Forbes began copying the logs of ships which sailed out of Boston, and he called Maury’s attention to the rich records of the Marine Society of Salem. Soon Captain Forbes’ other duties became consuming and he delegated to A. H. Bancroft the copying of journals of Salem ships.
At Maury’s request, Captain Forbes recommended that Captain Daniel McKenzie, an experienced whaling master of New Bedford, and George Manning, a New Yorker familiar with merchant shipping, make as many abstracts as possible of the logbooks and journals of whaleships and merchantmen. So industrious were Captain McKenzie and Manning in obtaining and copying accounts of voyages (the pay was from one cent to two and one-half cents for each day of a voyage copied) that Maury had to stop their work at times until needed appropriations were forthcoming to cover the expense. It was these two men whose work contributed most to the researches of Maury during the important period from 1848 to 1851.
It is not possible to determine exactly how many voyages were copied for the Naval Observatory by Captain McKenzie and Manning, for some of the records have been lost. An estimate of 2000 abstracted voyages, however, is perhaps not excessive. It is safe to say that without the information Maury obtained from his interested and capable copyists, the charts of the Pacific and Indian Oceans would have been much delayed and perhaps never completed, and that but for these charts to offer to the captains of merchantmen as a reward for abstracting future voyages, Maury could not have written as he did in May, 1851: “I am not now as dependent upon old log Books for information as I was before.”
That Maury was most appreciative of the work of Captain McKenzie and George Manning is attested by the hundreds of letters which he wrote them. As a grateful gesture to the whaling captains who loaned their logs to Captain McKenzie he undertook the construction of charts showing the portions of the oceans most frequented in various seasons by whales. To George Manning, Maury respectfully dedicated The Physical Geography of the Sea.
(See Page 1293, November 1947 Proceedings)
Lieutenant Commander Bruce Meu-
LENDYKE, U. S. NAVAL RESERVE (INACTIVE). —In the November issue of the Proceedings, Rear Admiral Holloway presented a summary of present day ideas on Naval Officer training. I would like to present some thoughts on the procurement of candidates for the various training programs he described.
My own observations make me think that the most able midshipman, in general, is one who has had previous naval training as an enlisted man. I think most naval officers will accept this fact. Therefore, assuming we are going to have a Universal Military Training program, why not combine the two ideas? Such a combination should give us better midshipmen for both the Naval Academy and the NROTC.
To utilize these two ideas, the following basic program could be followed: induct into the Navy under the Universal Military Training Program the principal and all alternates for Congressional appointments, all candidates for appointments under the various competitive methods of entrance, plus all candidates for NROTC and Aviation Cadet training. Give these men the complete Universal Military Training program. After completion of this program, they would then be eligible to take the entrance examinations for the Naval Academy or to apply for training under the various other officer training programs. From this point, entrance procedures would proceed as at present.
A notation should be made in the record of each Universal Military Trainee whether or not he is considered a fit candidate for officer training. A satisfactory mark from a majority of observing officers could be made one of the requirements for an appointment.
Having completed the year of training, a fourth class midshipman, either regular or reserve, would be much better fitted to start a Naval career. He would have an understanding of the Navy that is lacking in all those who enter with no previous naval experience. It should eliminate much of the preliminary training now given during “pie be summer” for the regular midshipman and during the freshman year for the reserve midshipman. Yet the new midshipman should be better trained, as he would have had some experience with all the preliminary subjects he now pursues during his first months of officer training.
As it is expected that all high school graduates will have to take some form of Universal Military Training, nothing would be lost by the candidate who fails to receive an appointment.
The ideas in this letter were originally worked out about three years ago. Since then I have had considerable contact with the NROTC Unit at the University of Rochester. My experience there makes me feel that some plan along the lines described above would be of considerable value.
Our Navy and South America’s Greatest Earthquake
(See page 345, March 1948 Proceedings)
Rear Admiral A. Farenholt, U. S. Navy (Retired).—In the March issue of Proceedings there appeared an article concerning the stranding of the U.S.S. Wateree and the total loss of the U.S.S. Fredonia, a store-ship, during a series of tidal waves which followed unusually severe earthquakes at Arica. At that time, 1868, Arica belonged to Peru and now is under Chilean sovereignty. May I elaborate a little on that account.
The Wateree, a Civil War gunboat of ten guns, after harrowing experiences afloat was finally carried by an exceptionally heavy return wave completely over the town, scraping the tops of the highest buildings and happily and more or less safely deposited on the sandy waste land about a mile inland. Thanks to her flat bottom she fetched up on an even keel. This nautical “John Gilpin’s Ride” must rank high in unusual and terrifying experiences. Within a few days the flagship of the South Pacific Squadron, the Powhatan, and the Nyack arrived in the bay.
It was quickly found that, while impossible to get the ship back into her accustomed element, she was in no danger structurally, and after the transfer of several officers and a part of her crew those vessels departed and left the ship in full commission pending the future action of the Navy Department. In that status she remained for several months until she was sold.
As far as possible, service routine and, of course, customs continued their more or less rigid course; however, it was promptly realized that certain procedures required prompt readjustment. Heads and washing facilities were erected ashore and a small garden for raising vegetables was started. The most unusual departure from, or modification of, naval life however came under the general heading of transportation, and that necessity was neatly solved by the substitution of burros for boats. Fortunately there were many of these animals available in the vicinity which were used in the nitrate industry. A number of them were obtained for the ship’s use.
In practice the watch, quarter, and station bills were still strictly followed, but with qualifications. An example of this pertained to those same burros. If the Captain wanted his burro for a canter among the sand dunes, he notified the Officer of the Deck who passed the word to the Boatswain’s Mate, who in turn piped and called “A-W-A-Y GIG!” Thereupon the Cockswain would run out on a lower boom, slide down a pennant to a burro, cast off and come alongside with him to the accommodation ladder which had been lengthened to reach the ground, and stand by for the great man’s arrival! Or, it might be “A-W-A-Y FIRST CUTTER” when a working party was needed to handle stores, or for any other duty away from the ship.
There was no slackening of discipline on board the U.S.S. Wateree, just because she was hard and fast, and high and dry, a mile from the nearest salt water!
Use of Radio Range Stations in Coastwise Piloting
Lieutenant Commander James C. Small, U. S. Naval Reserve.—Aviation offers a distinct aid to surface ship navigation in the use of the radio range station for coastal piloting in fog or reduced visibility.
The use of the radio range is an unexplored field and seldom, if ever, considered in surface ship navigation. However, an understanding of this navigational aid should be most helpful in coastal piloting and in approaching harbor entrances. Small boats, yard craft, merchant ships not equipped with radar, and certain Naval vessels could use the radio range to advantage.
First it must be explained that a radio range station has four “legs” or beams. Along a coast line, these “legs” necessarily extend to seaward. Information concerning these stations, their frequencies and call letters, can be obtained from aeronautical charts. For example, the San Diego section chart would be excellent for piloting between San Diego and San Pedro, or for making an approach or departure from either harbor. The radio beam extensions are shown on these charts.
The radio range can be used as a navigational aid in three different ways:
Fix: Since there will be several range stations along the coast with legs projected to seaward, the point of intersection of the beams may be considered as a fix. For example, two good fixes of this type are found off the southern California coast. One is the intersection of the south leg of the Los Angeles station with the west leg of the San Diego station. Another is the intersection of the west leg of the Santa Ana station, the south leg of the Los Angeles station and the southwest leg of the Long Beach station. One is a two-station intersection and one is a three-station intersection, but either is a sufficiently good fix for practically all pilotage purposes.
Line of Bearing: By maneuvering your ship into the beam, you can obtain a line of bearing from a certain station. The west leg of the Los Angeles, west leg of San Diego, south leg of Los Angeles and west leg of the Santa Ana stations offer excellent lines of bearing in the seaward projection of these beams.
Danger Areas: The seaward projections of these beams can be very helpful in avoiding danger areas. For example, in steaming in the waters south of San Clemente Island the danger of stranding can be easily avoided by use of the San Diego radio range station. The west leg of the San Diego station passes close aboard San Clemente Island. The “A” sector of the beam is over the island, while the “N” sector is all clear of hazards to navigation. It would be simple to tune into the San Diego station and maneuver so as to remain in the safe “N” sector. This is an extra precaution that should be a most valuable help in foggy weather.
In approaching San Pedro from the west, we find that the Santa Ana beam west leg passes close to Pt. Firmin. The “A” sector can be considered as dangerous; the “N” sector as safe. So, by merely tuning in and listening to the beam, we can maneuver our ship so as to stay in the safe “N” sector.
The “N” sector of the west leg of the Los Angeles beam will keep you well clear of Santa Rosa, San Miguel, AnaCapa, and Santa Cruz Islands.
In 1942, I commanded the U.S.S. Buckthorn (YN-9) operating out of San Pedro. The fogs and overcast nights of this area are familiar to all Naval officers. I am sure I would have many less gray hairs and at least one less stomach ulcer if I had known and appreciated the value of radio range stations for surface ship navigation. However, it was not until I went to flight training that I realized how convenient such procedure would have been.
The only practical difficulty I can see is that many surface ships do not have a coil to get down to the radio range station frequencies. All I can say is that if in 1942 I knew what I know now, I would have begged, borrowed or stolen—yes, I’d have even bought one with my own money—a coil so I could ride the beams in my surface ship.
I shall be most interested in hearing what experience surface ship people have had, or do have as a result of this article, in using radio range station beams in coastal waters.
(See page 83, January 1948 Proceedings, page 1107, September 1947 Proceedings and page 683, June 1947 Proceedings)
Mr. Francis McMurtrie.—I feel sure my friend Rear-Admiral Stoeve will have no objection if I amplify the particulars he gives of U-boats sunk by submarines of the Royal Netherlands Navy during World War II. These enemy submarines and the dates of their destruction were as follows:
Dutch Date
Submarine
0-21 Nov. 25,
1941
Dolfjn Feb. 9,
1943
Zwaardvisch Oct. 5,
Location
Enemy Submarine sunk German U 95
1944