Navigational Instruments found on the Storm Wreck

Summary

Between 2009 and 2015, excavations of the Storm Wreck (8SJ5459), a late 18th-century British shipwreck off the coast of St. Augustine, Florida by the Lighthouse Archaeological Maritime Program (LAMP) has revealed a variety of navigational instruments and components of such instruments. The primary navigational instruments discussed in this paper are a pair of navigational dividers, an octant, and a mathematical device known as a sector rule. This paper presents a historical analysis of each navigational instrument represented in the assemblage, examines the context of these artifacts in relation to the Storm Wreck, and provides insight into the methods used for determining latitude and the ship’s overall position in the late 18th century.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• The Archaeology, Conservation, and Interpretation of the Storm Wreck, a Wartime Refugee Vessel Evacuating Charleston, South Carolina at the End of the American Revolution and Lost at St. Augustine, Florida on 31 December 1782   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2016

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 828