Accurate timekeeping, used to calculate longitude, was essential for precise navigation and map making. James Cook could not have found his way so easily around the Pacific, or made such accurate charts, without the improvements in ships’ chronometers made in the 18th century. Although this chronometer was made 50 years after Cook’s voyages, it is a good example of the type of instrument he would have used.
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
Museum of Wellington City and Sea
by Melanie Lovell-Smith
This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.