The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1898-09-30
NAVAL NAVIGATORS.f
THEY HAVE MANY VERY SERIOUS DU-
TIES TO PERFORM.

lt Is doubtful If any Office In the
navy, aside from an absolute command,
Involves so vast responsibility as that
Of navigator Of a man -of-war The du-
ties Of this important station in former
years fell 70 officers of the rank of mas
ter, but with the abolition of that
grade its affairs devolved upon the
lieutenants holding the highest num-
bers on the list. Upon the navigator of
warship depends not only the task of
shaping the vessels course for any
point across the seas to which her des-
tinies may direct her, but also the re-
sponsibility Of plotting her in and out
of harbor and of selecting safe anchor
age for her IN every port visited during
the period of her cruise. Hence, it fol-
lows that, combined with a thorough
nautical training, the competent navi-
gator must be possessed of a vast fund
Of geographical, meteorological and hy-
biographical knowledge. While at sea,
he must know the vessels position TO a
degree, which necessitates his taking
frequent observations of the celestial
bodies and making solutions Of intricate
problems in geometry and trigonOmetry,
such as constantly arise through devia-
tiOns, brought about by innumerable
causes, from her given course
Unquestionably the most important
element IN navigation, because of its
infallibility under ordinary conditions,
in determining the latitude, longitude
and error in the ships compass, is what
is known in maritime phraseology as
nautical astronomy" With the aid Of
a seXtant or quadrant for measuring the
altitude of the heavenly bodies above
the horizon or their distance from each
other, a timepiece to mark the instant
of an observation, a chronOmeter to
show the time at the first meridian, a
nauticGt almanac and an azimuth COM
pass, the navigator can readily deter
mine his position with the utmost eX-
actitude.
The average voyage is more or less
characterized by erroneous estimates in
distances sailed, in varying currents,
careless steering deviation in the COM
pass and numerous other obstacles, and
upon the navigator rests the response
billty OF adjusting such errors. In long
passages across the open sea the navi-
gator is governed by rather complex
combination Of motives, which may be
summed up as follows: To cover the re
qUired distance III the shortest space of
time with the smallest expenditure Of
fuel and the least wear and tear of the
vessel that is possible.
With these objects in view the navi-
gator must prior to sailing superintend
personally the slowing Of the hold, the
arrangement of ballast, water, prOvi-
sions, stores ETC., and the inspection
and adjustment of the motive appliances
of the ship, all Of which features, sever
ally and collectively, greatly affect her
speed and seawOrthiness.
If his vessel possesses the facilities
for making sail, he must while at sea
exercise the keenest Judgment and fore
sight as to utilizing the same, for sail
used to good advantage is a great saver
of coal, while otherwise, if used indis-
Criminately, it may entail much loss Of
time. The expert navigator draws the
line with exceeding fineness between a
high fair wind and a gale, making the
most of the former as long as his vessel
is not jeOpardized. heaving her to at
just the proper period and getting under
way again at the first sign of moderation
in the weather. The commander of a
warShip TepOses the utmost confidence
in a skilled and careful navigator and
rarely interferes with his plans. Anoth
Iot
the navigator supervision is the keep
ing of the ships log. This is commenced
by him az the time the vessel is placed
in commission, and it's pages record the
events Of each succeeding day. There is
absolutely nothing which transpires Of
ficially on board of man-of war that
is not written in the log, and each day
the navigator must carry it to the COM
manding officer for his inspection. At
the expiration of every six months the
ships log must be closed and forwarded
TO the navy department at Washington,
where it is placed among the records.
The navigator is provided with a
large and varied assortment of instru.
ments and appliances designed to facili-
tate his work. While In port he is often
detailed to make surveys of portions of
the coast line which may be defective
upon the charts or to determine the ex-
act location of rocks or shoals which
hitherto have not been marked with
sufficient accuracy.
The navigator has charge of all the
various weather indicators Of the vessel
and must render quarterly reports Of
all meteorological observations. These
are taken at regular intervals by the