Bound for South Australia 1836NavigationWeek 27

Ship's chronometer, c.1907

OverviewBetween February and July 1836 nine ships left Britain bound for the newly created province of South Australia. On-board the ships were passengers who over many long months braved the perils of the ocean, including some of the most treacherous seas in the world to begin a new life on the other side of the world.

This resource uses the stories from these nine ships as recorded by the passengers and crew in their personal journals.

Contents

• Introduction• Journal entries• Inquiry Questions• Glossary of terms

IntroductionThere are a number of references to navigation in this week’s journal entries. Navigation is being able to move from one place to another, both safely and efficiently. We are always navigating our way around, often without thinking about it. Navigating a vessel safely from England to South Australia in 1836 required precision and skill. There was no modern day GPS equipment and sailors used the position of the sun, moon and stars to calculate a longitudinal position. Bingham Hutchinson onboard the Buffalo makes many references to location, providing us with great detail about the ship’s position and distance travelled. By plotting these references on a map, we can identify the routes travelled and make comparisons between the nine voyages. Did each ship take the same route and which route was the safest and most efficient journey from England to South Australia?

Journals from passengers at sea:Sunday 21 August 1836

Young Bingham Hutchinson, on board the Buffalo wrote:

Moderate wind & hazy wr. Wind North. SteeringS.W.b W. All sail set. Divine Service – prayers, singing, &a sermon by Revd C. Howard. Noon. Miles run 164 + 1875= 2039.P.M. Lat. 22E34 N′ o. Longe 22E45 W′ t. 8. Do Wr.{Sunday schools}First issue of limejuice today, ½ oz. per diem, per caput.

Wednesday 24 August 1836

John White, on board the Tam O'Shanter wrote:

Wednsday Aug 25S.S.W ½ W Mr Allen andMrs Allen Got drunk and abusedthe Captain by Cawling him aScoundral and a Blaguard Caughtone turtle Beclmed making2½ Knots a hower

Inquiry Questions• What instruments were used to navigate ships in 1836?

• What types of maps were available in 1836 and how were these created?

• What is the accuracy of the navigational tools used in the past compared to those used today?

Glossary of Terms Beclmed• Motionless for lack of wind. Latitude• Latitude is the distance of a point north or south of the equator as measured in degrees. The

poles are at 90 degrees north and south. Longitude• Longitude is the distance, measured in degrees, of the meridian on which a point lies to the

meridian of Greenwich. On the other side of the earth to Greenwich is a point with a longitude of both 180 degrees east and 180 degrees west.

per diem, per caput• per person, per day.

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