In the past, the wind speed was usually reported in knots until the Beaufort scale was developed in 1806 by the Royal Navy officer Francis Beaufort. The Lighthouse builder, John Smeaton, proposed in 1759 that the wind speed should be correlated with simple verbal descriptions, but this never caught on. A knot is equal to 1 nautical mile per hour, which is approximately 1.15 land miles or 1.85 kilometres an hour.
Author: savage
Nautical units of distance
The fathom
A fathom is a nautical unit of measurement equal to 6 feet (1.8288 m), historically used for measuring the depth of water. The word derives, via the Middle English word fathme, from the Old English word fæðm, which is cognate with the Danish word favn, meaning a ‘pair of outstretched arms’. A burial at sea officially requires a minimum of six fathoms of water, probably being the origin of the phrase ‘to deep six’ as meaning to discard, or dispose of something. The phrase is echoed in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, where Ariel tells Ferdinand, ‘Full fathom five thy father lies’, which means his body is lost deep at sea.
Henry Jennings
Henry Jennings was an unusual pirate, being a wealthy landowner with estates in both Bermuda and Jamaica. His family were well established on Bermuda, living in Flatts Village in the Hamilton Parish of the island. Little is known of his early life except that he was a privateer during the Spanish War of Succession operating out of Jamaica, where he developed a close relationship with Governor Archibald Hamilton. At times he could be cruel and self-serving. He was also believed to be a supporter of the Jacobite cause. He was later based in Nassau after turning from privateering to piracy, becoming a mentor to Charles Vane and an adversary to Benjamin Hornigold.
Ship
Ship – 5000 Years of Maritime Adventure by Brian Lavery
Whether you’re a Master, Commander or Pirate of the Caribbean, this is the vessel for you. From the earliest canoes to today’s sophisticated ocean-going giants, Christopher Columbus to Ellen MacArthur, witness the drama, the splendour and excitement of Ship’s story above and below the waves, through centuries of exploration, endeavour and conflict. Produced in association with the National Maritime Museum.
Pages: 400
Published: 2005
ISBN: 978-1405311540
