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Subject: [ANZMapS] Supplementary Logs and Journals of Ships on Exploration
Date: Tue, 9 Mar 2010 12:28:14 +1300
From: Brian Marshall <[log in to unmask]>
Reply-To: [log in to unmask]
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
This may be of interest to some of you.
From the National Archives.
Ship Logs:
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/shipsonexploration.asp
<http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/shipsonexploration.asp>
You can search
<http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/browse-refine.asp?CatID=44&searchType=browserefine&pagenumber=1&query=*&queryType=1>
and download 164 volumes of logbooks of the Royal Navy’s voyages of
scientific discovery, from series reference ADM 55.
These volumes are the logs (navigational records) and journals
(narrative accounts) of naval officers of ships engaged in exploration
and surveying, which were used by the Hydrographic Office to produce
charts and other data. Most of the logs were kept by naval captains,
masters, lieutenants and masters’ mates, although there are a few logs
which were kept by boatswains or assistant surgeons. Amongst this
collection of Royal Naval logs, there are a several logs which were kept
by merchant ships.
The records were made between 1757 and 1861, with one exception; the
logs of the ‘Morning’ (ADM 55/163
<http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/details-result.asp?Edoc_Id=8306213&queryType=1&resultcount=1>
and ADM 55/164
<http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/details-result.asp?Edoc_Id=8306214&queryType=1&resultcount=1>),
which were made in 1904.
The main areas covered in the logs are the Pacific, the Arctic, the
Antarctic, Australia, the Americas and the west coast of Africa,
although China, St Helena and other places are also included.
Many famous officers kept logs held in this collection, including James
Cook, William Bligh and Matthew Flinders.
You can search
<http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/browse-refine.asp?CatID=44&searchType=browserefine&pagenumber=1&query=*&queryType=1>
the logs by:
* *Ship’s name *
* *Logbook keeper*
You can also search by entering the *catalogue reference* into the Quick
search box at the top left of the page.
It costs £2.00 to download a log book or journal.
These logs and journals are a first-hand account of the day-to-day
activities of the exploration party, giving a picture of life aboard ship.
The logs also include scientific information gathered during the voyage
and detailed daily accounts of the weather they encountered.
The meteorological observations in these logbooks have become a very
valuable source of climatic information for scientists today. It is for
this reason that the logbooks have been digitised as part of the UK
Colonial Registers and Royal Navy Logbooks (CORRAL)
<http://www.corral.org.uk/> project, which is funded by the Joint
Information System Committee <http://www.jisc.ac.uk/>.
This fits in very nicely with one of the keynote papers being presented
at the forthcoming Adelaide Conference, where Dr Rob Allan from the UK
Meteorological Office is speaking about : /The International ACRE
initiative: Visualisations of Historical Weather Reconstructions/ (which
is a very good reason to attend the Conference).
Cheers,
Brian Marshall
ANZMapS Secretary
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