Author Results for W. E. May
The Gentleman of Jamaica
Retired merchant captain Ralph Walker, (1749-1824), mentally unfulfilled by his Jamaican sugar plantations, turned to the problem of finding the longitude at sea. W. E. May describes the historical background to finding the longitude and Walker’s efforts, including his foray into magnetic variation and dip and which, though ultimately unsuccessful, played a useful part in […] Read More
Filed under: Atlantic | Other (Nineteenth C) | Caribbean
Subjects include: Biography | Science & Exploration | Ship Handling & Seamanship
Garlic and the Magnetic Compass
Do garlic, onions and tallow affect the accuracy of a magnetic compass? May seeks to unravel the mystery which was believed to have adversely affected ship handling since at least Antiquity. Quoting from sources as early as Pliny and as late as the September 1976 issue of the New Scientist, he provides evidence both for […] Read More
Filed under: Antiquity
Subjects include: Ship Handling & Seamanship
Midshipmen Ordinary and Extraordinary
This article reviews and clarifies the origins and circumstances of the appointments of Midshipmen Ordinary and Extraordinary in the Royal Navy from the 1660’s to the 1730’s. The first mention of Midshipmen Extraordinary is in 1669, and thereafter the appointment was frequently, but not always, used for commissioned officers without a commissioned appointment. Based on […] Read More
Filed under: Other (Early Modern) | Other (Eighteenth C) | Other (location)
Subjects include: Administration | Biography | Manpower & Life at Sea | Navies
The Loss of the Pembroke, 1694
The Pembroke was a 32-gun ship built in 1690, whose loss in a long combat in 1694 has been overlooked by most historians. So, the author explains in this paper all dated actions, squadrons, fleets and seas in which she had some remarkable activity. It also includes detailed information about the men who commanded her. Read More
Filed under: English Channel | Other (Early Modern) | Caribbean
Subjects include: Battles & Tactics | Biography | Navies
The Navy and the Rebellion of the Earl of Argyle
In 1685 Archibald Campbell, the 9th Earl of Argyle, together with the Duke of Monmouth, made an abortive attempt to oust James II from the throne. Argyle, having acquired three ships and recruited some disaffected officers and men, sailed from Holland to invade England via Scotland. His plans were thwarted by Royal intelligence and the […] Read More
Filed under: North Sea | Other (Early Modern)
Subjects include: Battles & Tactics
The Wreck of the Weymouth
A description of the events that led to the 60 gun ship Weymouth, Captain Calmady, breaking up on a reef in February 1745. Using the ships log and notes from the court martial, the author establishes the cause as a navigational error where the pilot consistently mistook Antigua for Montserrat and neither of the Captains […] Read More
Filed under: Other (Eighteenth C) | Caribbean | Shipwrecks
Subjects include: Ship Handling & Seamanship
Hugues de Berze and the Mariner’s Compass
This short article attempts to establish the connection of de Berze with the history of the mariner’s compass in the thirteenth century. It compares different accounts of this confusing saga. Read More
Filed under: High Middle Ages | Other (location)
Subjects include: Science & Exploration